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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24128806">Persona 5 Royal: A Hazardous Inclusion</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kazero/pseuds/Kazero'>Kazero</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5, Persona Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Fights</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:33:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>103,477</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24128806</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kazero/pseuds/Kazero</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After his father’s death, high schooler Toya Kazero moves in with his brother and transfers to Shujin Academy. But after a chain of events that follows the move, Toya's life changes in a way that he couldn't have ever dreamed of.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Life Changer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>[WARNING]</p><p>This entire story (ESPECIALLY THIS FIRST CHAPTER) contains spoilers for P5R. Some things that take place in this chapter will either not make any sense to you at all, or will completely spoil some of the things that are only revealed very late into the game. By reading any further, you are subjecting yourself to this. If you have not experienced P5R for yourself yet, I would highly recommend doing that first.</p><p>This story is a reimagination of another fanfiction I wrote last year. You do NOT need to read that first. The story will have a multitude of different changes in it to help differentiate it from the original.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>
  <b> <em>July 31st, Last Year (Friday)</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Evening - Home</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Despite how quiet it was in the house, today was an exciting day for everyone Toya’s age. Summer break was finally here. Starting today, for an entire month, Toya had no school-related responsibilities. He could finally relax, without the pressure of deadlines and exams weighing him down. However, even though his next day of school was over an entire month away at this point, he was already working on his summer homework. He wanted to get it out of the way immediately, that way he could relax throughout the rest of the break without having anything to worry about. But then, as he was getting through his work, he heard a knock on his door. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Come in!” He called out, putting his pencil down and looking towards the door to his room. And then, sure enough, his father walked through the door. Or, well, ‘father’ was only true to an extent. The man who entered his room, Eishi Kazero, was by no means related to Toya whatsoever. But that didn’t really matter to him. The two of them got along like a ‘real’ father and son would, so he didn’t care.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Already getting through your homework, huh?” Eishi said, softly chuckling. “Yep. That’s definitely a you thing to do.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “You know me, Dad. I’ve always been diligent about this kinda stuff.”  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “That’s true, that’s true. Hey- I got you a little something.” He said, pulling a white box out from behind him, one that was small enough to hold with just one hand. “Catch!” He said, gently tossing it towards Toya’s direction. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “What’s this?” Toya questioned, grabbing hold of the box and staring at it. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “It’s… Well, to be honest, it’s probably not a gift you’d expect to get. Go on, open it up.” Toya tilted his head at his father’s response, but despite this, he opened the box in his hands, and was met with a soft, purple piece of fabric. He slowly took hold of it, pulling it out and letting the box fall to the bed.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Is this a bandana…?” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Go ahead, put it on. Make sure you cover most of your face with it, alright? I’ll explain it all in a second, don’t worry.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Alright…” Toya was confused, but he had no reason to really decline his father’s request. He held both ends of the fabric and tied it around his head, covering a majority of his face with it, all the way up to his nose. “You mean like this?” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Yeah, perfect! It looks pretty good on you, too. Matches your eyes and everything!” Eishi was surprisingly ecstatic to see how well it fit on him, showing a bright smile.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Yeah, but… What’s it for? Like you said, this isn’t something I was really expecting you to get me.”  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Well, no. but this isn’t just some normal occasion- this is for something special. Something really special.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Something special…? Is there some culture festival going on that I’m not aware of?” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “No, no it’s nothing like that.” Eishi laughed, seeing how clueless Toya was about it. “I’ll tell you more about it tomorrow, alright? For now, just relax. And make sure you hold on to that!” Before Toya could give a proper response, Eishi walked away, closing the door behind him. </em>
</p><p> </p><p><em> “ </em> <span class="u"> <em> What was that all about…? </em> </span> <em> <span class="u">”</span> Toya thought to himself, taking the bandana off and holding it in his hand, staring at it. There had to be some kind of reason that he gave this to him, but Toya couldn’t think of it. He found himself staring at the bandana, unable to pry his eyes away from it. It felt important… Like he had a responsibility of some kind. He had no idea what, though. But, something about it felt so important… </em></p>
<hr/><p>
  <b>April 10th, 20XX (Sunday)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Daytime - Shujin Academy</b>
</p><p> </p><p>“Hey- wake up!” Reality hit him like a truck, as Toya’s eyes jolted open. It was just a dream- or rather, a flashback. He hadn’t even realized that he dozed off, so he was in a complete daze when he finally came to. It took him a moment to get himself together and figure out his surroundings. He was in the passenger seat of a car, and the person driving it was his ‘brother’, Kai Kazero. Just like with his father, the two of them weren’t blood related, but they were still family. He wasn’t as close to his brother as he was to his father, though. Once he had finally got himself together, he looked out the window and saw that they had stopped in front of a school, Shujin Academy. He sighed, and then looked at his hand… Just like in his dream, he was holding a purple bandana. The one that his father gave to him last year. </p><p> </p><p>“...Sorry. I didn’t intend to doze off.” Toya responded, putting his bandana back in his pocket.</p><p> </p><p>“No, it’s fine.” Kai took a deep breath, before opening the car door and stepping outside. “Well? Are you coming?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah… Yeah, I’m coming.” Toya slowly opened the door on his side, softly closing it behind him. All of his movements were slow, and void of any energy, especially compared to how he was a month ago. Kai noticed this right away, but he didn’t say anything about it. There wasn’t anything <em> to </em> say about it, in his opinion. Toya was depressed, and with his reasoning, who could blame him? Kai certainly couldn’t, especially considering the fact that he was experiencing some of the same symptoms as his brother. Though, it wasn’t to the same extent- not even close. </p><p> </p><p>“Come on. We don’t wanna keep your new principal waiting.” Kai said, as he started walking into the school building with Toya lagging behind him. The two of them walked through the barren school halls together, that Toya would soon have to roam on a near-daily basis. This was Shujin Academy, and starting tomorrow, this would be his new school. He still wasn’t excited about moving away, but there wasn’t anything that could be done about it. Without saying as much as a word, the two of them finally reached the door to the principal’s office, where they heard other voices speaking to each other.</p><p> </p><p>“To reiterate, just so we’re clear, you will immediately be expelled if you cause any problems. In my opinion, you’re nothing but a liability, but we had our circumstances to consider… Whatever you might’ve gotten away with in your homework… those days are over. If you are thrown out from our school, there will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind.” </p><p> </p><p>“There’s another transfer student?” Kai said, listening in on the conversation. “Wait… Is it <em> that </em> one?” </p><p> </p><p>“<em> That </em> one?”</p><p> </p><p>“He’s your age. He <em> was </em> a normal kid, but… He got convicted for a crime, and sent here on probation for a year.”</p><p> </p><p>“He’s on probation? What’d he do?”</p><p> </p><p>“He attacked a government official, or something like that.” Kai looked towards the ground for a moment, before turning back towards Toya. “Look- just try to stay away from him, alright? Associating with people like that brings you nothing but trouble.” Toya sighed in response, averting his eyes away. A moment later, the door to the principal’s office opened, with two people walking out of it. One of them was the other transfer student, and the other one was the person that Toya could only assume was the boy’s guardian. “You’re…!” Kai froze up, taking a glance at the man who was walking with the transfer student.</p><p> </p><p>“Hm?” He said, turning around to face Kai. “Sorry, do I know you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah… No, sorry. You just looked like someone I used to know. Sorry for the confusion.” He averted his eyes away from the man, and then looked towards the transfer student. He looked relatively calm, much to his and Toya’s surprise. He didn’t seem like the kind of person who would actually harm a government official- or anyone, for that matter. Though, despite their efforts, they couldn’t get a good look into the transfer student’s eyes due to the glasses on his face. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, alright.” The man said, turning towards the transfer student with him. “Come on. We have to get back to the shop.” He turned away from Toya and Kai, walking towards the exit with the transfer student following close behind. </p><p> </p><p>“<em> He’s </em> the one who took in the transfer student…? <em> Him? </em>” Kai mumbled to himself, looking towards the two of them as they walked away. </p><p> </p><p>“So you do recognize him?” Toya asked, as his eyes trailed down to the floor. He couldn’t bring himself to care much about the transfer student, despite his brother seeming concerned about what he’s like.</p><p> </p><p>“He used to work for the government a few years ago. I never met him personally, but… Well, he’s someone I’ve always had a more personal interest in.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em> Personal </em> interest? Is he part of a case you’re looking into?”</p><p> </p><p>“...Something like that. Anyways, we’ve stalled long enough. We should get going.” Kai turned around, looking towards the door to the principal’s office and walking toward it.</p><p> </p><p>“<span class="u">Personal interest…”</span> Toya thought to himself, starting to follow Kai into the principal’s office. “<span class="u">Could he be relevant to <b>that</b></span><span class="u"> case</span>?” </p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>April 10th, 20XX (Sunday)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Afternoon - Shibuya</b>
</p><p> </p><p>“The same class…” Toya spoke in a soft tone, taking a glance at his student ID. He was in the same class as the new transfer student, who was found guilty for assaulting a government official. The sheer thought of that made him feel like he was going to have a difficult time adjusting to his new life here- even more difficult than he had anticipated.</p><p> </p><p>“I know I told you to keep your distance, but… It may work out in my favor if you two got to know each other.”</p><p> </p><p>“You want me to be on speaking terms with a criminal?”</p><p> </p><p>“You saw him too, didn’t you? He doesn’t look aggressive. Hell, he’s wearing fake glasses. It’s very unlikely that he’d pick a fight with you if you started talking to him.” Kai sighed, putting his hands back on the wheel as he finally began nearing the end of traffic. “Besides… His guardian is a point of interest to me.”</p><p> </p><p>“You said you have a personal interest in him. Is that because-”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t finish that.” Kai completely cut Toya off, surprising him. “This isn’t something you should be getting involved with. It’s… too dangerous for you. Please.”</p><p> </p><p>“...Right. I get it.” He had no choice but to accept this. Kai wasn’t as lenient as his father was, after all. If it was connected to <em> that </em> case in any way, there’s no way that Kai would let him know. He’s always kept things like that close to himself. </p><p> </p><p>“Anyways… We have one more place to go today. We’re off to see a friend of mine.” </p><p> </p><p>“What for?”</p><p> </p><p>“He’s a therapist. I met him a couple years back when looking into something for work. He’s a talented guy… One that Eishi would want you to go see.” Kai let out a big sigh. “Even if he is a complete fool.”</p><p> </p><p>“A fool…?”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t get the wrong idea. He has a good heart and an even better goal. He wants to fix everyone’s problems in the world with his research. With his goal, the world would be an amazing place. An amazing, beautiful… unrealistic world.” With the way Kai spoke, it was fairly evident that he had conflicting feelings on this person and their ideals. It sounded like he wanted them to be true, but didn’t believe in the world enough for it to ever happen. It sounded like something Kai would think, according to Toya’s mental image of him. “Well, you’ll see what I mean. Come on, we’re here.” He stepped out of the car and closed it behind him. </p><p> </p><p>“<span class="u">A therapist trying to help the world with his research? He might be related to this case too.</span>” Toya stepped outside of the car, closing the door behind him and walking forward with his head down. “<span class="u">Just how deep does this go, Kai? What did you get yourself into? What did you get Dad into…?</span>”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>April 10th, 20XX (Sunday)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Afternoon - Therapist’s Office</b>
</p><p> </p><p>“Go on, take as much time as you need. I’ll be waiting out here.” Kai took a seat and took his phone out, diverting his attention away from Toya for a brief moment. Toya took a deep breath before turning towards a door, one where he could only imagine the therapist in question was waiting, and knocked on it.</p><p> </p><p>“Come on in!” A cheerful voice called out from inside, inviting Toya inside and leading his hand towards the doorknob.</p><p> </p><p>“Toya.” Kai spoke in a stern tone, quickly catching Toya’s attention. He turned his head, making eye contact with Kai. “You remember your story, correct?” Kai stared daggers right at Toya. He wasn’t just looking into his eyes, he was staring directly at his very soul, and his words pierced just as deep as his gaze.</p><p> </p><p>“...Yes. I do.” Toya responded as calmly as he could, before quickly breaking eye contact and opening the door he had reached out to, stepping inside. Once he was inside, he was met with a man with a gentle expression sitting in a chair, with an open seat across from him. On the table between the two seats was a bowl filled to the brim with various different types of candy. Toya slowly walked forward, taking the empty seat across from the therapist. </p><p> </p><p>“So, you’re Kai’s younger brother, huh? I was starting to think I’d never meet any of his family!” He said, happily smiling.</p><p> </p><p>“We’re… not related. Not by blood, at least.” </p><p> </p><p>“Ah, right. He mentioned that once a few months back.” Immediately, toya could start to see what Kai meant by his descriptions of the man. He had this aura around him, a gentle one, but still very noticeable. “I’m Dr. Maruki. I’ll be your counselor. Thank you for taking Kai’s advice on seeing me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh… Yeah. Thanks for agreeing to see me…” Toya averted his eyes away from the man. The overwhelming positivity coming from him was too much for the mindset Toya had. “Am I just… Supposed to say what’s been bothering me? Sorry, I don’t really know what I’m meant to do in this discussion… In truth, I would have never come if Kai didn’t recommend it.” </p><p> </p><p>“That’s fine. We can just chat for a while and see how you feel later, if that’s what you’d like.” </p><p> </p><p>“We can just… chat?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not really possible for us to talk about things you don’t want to talk about. I’ve heard bits and pieces of it from Kai, but he never told me the full story. But, from the bit I do know, I can’t imagine it being easy to just say.” </p><p> </p><p>“Kai told you some stuff, huh…?”</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em> Kai: “You remember your story, correct?” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Toya: “...Yes. I do.” </em>
</p>
<hr/><p>“...What did he say?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, he told me about how you two came home together… and what you found.” His demeanor changed as the words came out of his mouth, but only for a moment. He did his best to keep smiling. Whether or not that was an act or not wasn’t something Toya could tell right off the bat. </p><p> </p><p>“...We went out to get lunch together. Me and Kai hadn’t really gotten to know each other that well, so he took me out as a way for the two of us to get to know each other a little better. At least, that was the intention of it. But when we got home… we saw him. Father, on the ground…” Toya dug his nails into his pants as he spoke, recalling the story. </p><p> </p><p>“<span class="u"> Lies… </span> ” He thought to himself, keeping his eyes away from Maruki’s. “ <span class="u"> A complete web of lies… </span>” Despite his best efforts to hold them back, a single tear began falling from his eyes, gently slipping down his cheek and dripping onto his hand. </p><p> </p><p>“Please, don’t feel pressured to continue yet. We can work at whatever pace you feel comfortable with.” Maruki said in an attempt to calm Toya down a bit. “You did a wonderful job explaining that. Why not just take a breather?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah… Okay.” Toya did his best to try and calm down, but it wasn’t exactly working. There were a large variety of emotions running through his mind, but they ultimately equated to one central feeling going through him: pain. </p><p> </p><p>“Let’s try changing topics a little bit. What’s something you enjoy doing?”</p><p> </p><p>“Something I enjoy?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. It could be any kind of hobby- whatever it is that brings you happiness.”</p><p> </p><p>“If I had to pick something, then it’d probably be my training.”</p><p> </p><p>“Training? What kind of training is it?”</p><p> </p><p>“A little under a year ago, my father began physically training me. He was a kickboxing instructor, and on my first day of summer break last year, he asked if he could start training me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Kickboxing, at that age? You were only a first year in high school then, weren’t you?”</p><p> </p><p>“I was confused too. But I had no reason to disobey him. He’s the only father I can remember ever having, after all.”</p><p> </p><p>“I see… So, what do you plan on doing? Do you think you’ll try to go somewhere with your training? You could potentially make a career out of that, you know.” </p><p> </p><p>“A career out of…” Toya’s words trailed off as he felt a sharp pain in both his chest and his head, spawned purely from the overwhelming guilt that plagued his mind. “...No. It wouldn’t be right.” He finished, bringing his hand up to his head and grabbing onto it. </p><p> </p><p>“Wouldn’t be right…? What makes you say that?” An audible concern was present in Maruki’s voice, still trying to keep a calm yet caring demeanor about him. </p><p> </p><p>“It just wouldn’t feel right. After what I…” Toya stopped himself. His mind rushed back to the last time he saw his father. He took his hand off of his head and held it in front of him, staring into his palms. “So tainted…”</p><p> </p><p>“Tainted?”</p><p> </p><p>“My hands. Ever since that day… my hands feel so tainted.” His hands slowly fell to his sides, as he looked down to the floor. “I’m sorry to have wasted your time. I’m far beyond any help that you can provide- or anyone, for that matter.” </p><p> </p><p>“Surely that can’t be true.”</p><p> </p><p>“It is. What I’ve done is irredeemable. I’ll have to pay for my crimes…” Toya slowly got out of his seat, turning away from Maruki. “I’ll be taking my leave. Again, I apologize for wasting so much time.” Not even turning back to look Maruki in the eyes, Toya began heading for the door.</p><p> </p><p>“W-Wait!” Maruki called out, reaching his hand out. Toya stopped moving, slightly turning his head. “Please. I’m sure that whatever it is… There’s an answer to it that you haven’t considered yet.”</p><p> </p><p>“You wouldn’t be saying that if you knew everything.”</p><p> </p><p>“Then I’ll listen to everything you have to say. Every little bit.”</p><p> </p><p>“...Why? I don’t have anything that I can give you in return… It’s seriously just a waste of your time.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re in need of help. I refuse to believe that there’s no hope for your situation at all. So please, try to tell me whatever it is that’s plaguing your mind, and allow me to try to help.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re serious…” Toya closed his eyes, clenching his fists. He turned back around, walking towards Maruki’s direction and taking a seat. </p><p> </p><p>“Whatever it is you think you’ve done, I’d like to hear it. All of it.” </p><p> </p><p>“If you insist…” Toya closed his eyes and took a deep breath, holding onto his legs. “Well, to start off… me and Kai never went out that day. I hadn’t seen Kai in weeks, maybe even months at that point. Me and my father were both home. Like I said earlier, he had been physically training me. It went on for months at that point, and I guess he thought I was getting better. So… He wanted to fight. A real, genuine fight- not like the sparring we had done before. He didn’t want me to hold back- and he wasn’t going to hold back either. So I agreed… That’s when it happened.” He took another deep breath, clenching his fists. “<em> That’s </em> how he died. By the idiocy of the kid he adopted...” He grit his teeth, as tears slowly began to form in his eyes. “Stupid… So stupid…!” He raised his fist into the air, before quickly smashing it back down against his leg. </p><p> </p><p>“Toya…” </p><p> </p><p>“All I wanted to do was to make him proud… The <em> one </em> person that took me in! Every single second of that training was all to make my father proud- and for what!? So I could <em> kill </em> him!?” Toya grunted, raising his fist once more and bashing his leg, a mixture of anger and sorrow ravaging his mind. “And I can’t… I can’t even <em> tell </em> anyone! My brother already lied to the cops, so if they find out what happened, then I’m ruining <em> his </em> life, too! So what can I do!?” </p><p> </p><p>“You can continue living.” Maruki’s words pierced straight through Toya’s psyche. “No matter what kind of guilt you feel… You did what your father asked of you. No matter how things turned out. He wouldn’t want you to live a life where you’re constantly blaming yourself for the grievance of your family. I don’t think Kai wants that for you, either.” </p><p> </p><p>“<span class="u"> Kai wasn’t joking… </span> ” Toya didn’t lift his head, staring straight at the ground with his hands clenched around his legs tightly. “ <span class="u"> Amazing… Beautiful… And… </span>”</p><p> </p><p>“...Impossible.” His head continued to hang low, not even trying to lift it up anymore. “How am I supposed to just <em> do </em> that? I’ve been riddled with this guilty feeling… I can never just let it go and live my life normally after that. If Kai’s story was the truth, then sure. But, as is… It’s simply not feasible.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure it is.” Maruki’s calm voice had a hint of cheer in it. Toya’s curiosity finally got the better of him, and he slowly lifted his head up.</p><p> </p><p>“What do you-” Before Toya could finish speaking, he could feel time around him stop for a brief moment. And within the vast moments of stopped time, he could feel something in his head begin to change. He couldn’t even process what it felt like, he could only tell that something was happening to him. He closed his eyes for a moment, but even with his eyelids sealed shut, he could see a bright flash of light engulfing him- not the world around him, just <em> him </em>. And yet, this feeling of something happening to him- the feeling of a mysterious force engulfing him and showering him in its light… It was soothing. Something about it was so beautifully calming, and for the first time in a very long time, it gave his mind peace. It was like a massive weight had been lifted off of him- or rather, as if shackles were removed from his soul. He felt free. Free to have emotions once more, free to feel like he was worthy of the life he was given by his adoptive father. The tears stopped flowing down his cheeks, as time seemed to begin moving once more. </p><p> </p><p>“Well? How do you feel?” Maruki asked, snapping Toya back to reality. </p><p> </p><p>“I feel… Empty, in a weird way. Like I just let my entire mind go free.” He removed his hands from his legs and glanced at them. For some reason in the back of his head, he expected to feel something when he looked at them, but he didn’t. He just felt normal. “I don’t really know how to explain this.” </p><p> </p><p>“Haha, that’s okay. Letting out so much stress feel liberating, but it also comes with a large chunk of confusion, doesn’t it?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah… It does. But I don’t dislike it at all.” Toya slowly stood up, stretching a bit and taking deep breaths. “Whatever happened to my father… It’s too late to be worrying about it. Like you said, he’d want me to continue living my life, wanting me to be as happy as I possibly could, while honoring the path he put me on. So that’s exactly what I’ll do from this day on!” Toya’s voice was ecstatic. He was infinitely happier than he was before, so much show to the point where he finally started to smile, for the first time ever since his father passed away.</p><p> </p><p>“I see… So you’ve stopped blaming yourself.”</p><p> </p><p>“...Huh? Blaming myself for what?” Toya tilted his head, giving Maruki a confused look. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, nothing.” Maruki slowly got out of his seat and extended his arm outward. “I’m glad I could help you. Keep your chin up no matter what happens, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, definitely!” Toya shook Maruki’s hand while keeping eye contact with him. He felt indebted to Maruki for this feeling of ease, but he couldn’t explain why. Perhaps all he really needed was to let out his pent up frustrations- that’s how he perceived it, at least. </p><p> </p><p>“It’s starting to get late. You should be on your way home soon. I take it you’re starting at a new school tomorrow, aren’t you?” </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, right! I still have to unpack a lot of stuff at home, too.” Toya broke the handshake and turned around, walking towards the door. “Thanks for everything, Doctor!” He said, quickly opening the door and walking out. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>April 10th, 20XX (Sunday)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Evening - Kazero Household</b>
</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure you’re okay?” Kai said as he and Toya walked into their home, letting out a big yawn. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry, I’ll manage myself perfectly fine tomorrow.” Toya yawned as well, stretching his arms out. “I’m exhausted though… I think I’m gonna head to bed early tonight.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good. You’re starting at a new school tomorrow. First impressions are important, so you better get all the rest you can.” Kai started rubbing his eyes, beginning to walk upstairs. “I’m pretty beat, too. I’m gonna turn in for the night.”</p><p> </p><p>“You too.” He watched his brother walk upstairs, before following him and entering his own room. Well, it was hardly <em> his </em> room. Originally it was just a guest room that, for the most part, was fairly unused. But due to the unforeseen circumstances, it was repurposed as Toya’s bedroom. It was still a bit messy, though. Toya lacked the motivation to actually clean it at all until recently, but now he lacked the energy.</p><p> </p><p>“<span class="u"> First thing tomorrow… </span>” He thought to himself as he walked toward his bed, quickly laying down. His eyes felt really heavy tonight. The talk he had with Maruki took a lot more out of him than he had anticipated. Within mere moments of laying down, his eyes closed on their own and he drifted off to sleep. It felt like it was going to be a good night’s rest, unlike the nights that had been coming before this. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>April 11th, 20XX (Monday)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Early Morning - Kazero Household</b>
</p><p> </p><p>“And… done…” Toya collapsed onto his bed again. After neglecting it for so long, he finally got around to cleaning up his room. “That took way too long… I don’t wanna do anything for the rest of the day…” He said, as he slowly began to close his eyes. </p><p> </p><p><b>“</b> <span class="u"> <b>You’re going to be late if you close your eyes now.</b> </span> <b>”</b></p><p> </p><p>“WHAT THE HELL-” Toya’s eyes jolted back open and he jumped up, getting on his feet. “Who was that!? Who’s here!?!?”</p><p> </p><p><b>“</b> <span class="u"> <b>You’re not going to find anything like that.</b> </span> <b>” </b></p><p> </p><p>“Who the hell are you!? What do you want!?”</p><p> </p><p><b>“</b> <span class="u"> <b>I want you to get to school on time. We don’t want to be late on our first day, do we?</b> </span> <b>” </b></p><p> </p><p>“We…? What are you-” A sudden realization hit Toya. He took out his phone, turning the screen on and looking at the time. “Wait, it’s THAT late already!? You’re joking!” Toya grabbed his bag, quickly putting it on and starting to head towards the door. “But… Who the hell are you!? And what did you mean by ‘we’...?”</p><p> </p><p><b>“</b> <span class="u"> <b>I can explain that to you on your way to school. Now go.</b> </span> <b>”</b></p><p> </p><p>“Damn it… Okay, fine! But you better explain everything!” Toya yelled, quickly running out of his room and making his way towards the subway station. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>That's surely one way to start your new life somewhere, isn't it? I'd say that it at least can't get any weirder from this point on, but... Nah, it totally will get weirder.</p><p>Thank you all for reading the first chapter of this story. There's a lot to unpack, and if you've read the original, you can probably already tell that this is going to be a MUCH longer story than the original. I'm going out of my way to be more in-depth on everything, with the hopes of having a fully fledged story by the end of it, with every arc reaching a fitting conclusion, and no questions being left unanswered. That being said, it's going to take a LONG time to get there.</p><p>I'd appreciate any kind of feedback on this first chapter. And, if you have any questions, feel free to leave a review. I'll answer any questions at the end of the last chapter. Keep in mind that I post on both FFN and AO3, so I'll have probably have questions from both websites.</p><p>Or, if you want to ask me something else, feel free to contact me on Twitter (@Kazero5340). I check Twitter often enough to get back to any questions you all may have.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Friends</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>April 11th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Early Morning - Aoyama-Itchome Station</strong>
</p><p>"<span class="u">Thank god I remembered my umbrella...</span>" Toya sighed, peeking his head out from the underground walkway and looking around the rainy streets of the city. He saw countless different people within a year of his age wearing the same uniform as him, either walking or running in the same direction- towards the academy that they all attended, no doubt.</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>You would have forgotten it had I not reminded you.</strong></span><strong>"</strong> Toya jumped ever so slightly. He had heard this voice a multitude of times now, but he still had no idea how to interpret it. He looked around him, and despite how many people were passing by him from the underground passage onto the street, nobody seemed to bat an eye at the voice.</p><p>"Am I the only one who hears this…?" He whispered to himself, walking up the stairs onto the street with his umbrella in hand, slowly walking towards Shujin.</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>That's correct. Unless you make my presence known, nobody will be able to hear me other than you.</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"Just… What are you…? I get that you're in my head and all… but that still doesn't explain anything!"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>First off, refrain from speaking out loud. People are going to think you're psychotic if you start talking to a voice in your head.</strong></span><strong>"</strong> Toya started looking around awkwardly, making sure nobody was giving him weird looks while quickly walking forward. <strong>"</strong><span class="u"><strong>I'm in your head, don't you recall? Simply your thoughts will suffice for communication purposes.</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">...You're serious?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>I heard your thoughts about the umbrella, remember? Isn't that proof enough?</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">I guess…</span>" Toya took a big sigh, continuing forward. "This just gets weirder and weirder by the second. Seriously, what <em>are</em> you?"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>It's hard to truly define </strong><em><strong>what </strong></em><strong>I am or what my purpose is. I suppose that the best way for me to put this is that I am now a fragment of your mind.</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">A fragment of my mind…? Wait, what do you mean by 'now'? How long have you been here?</span>" Toya awaited a response, but the voice had stopped. For once, there wasn't a single response. No snarky remark, no ominous answer. There was absolutely nothing in response at all- and it was kind of concerning.</p><p>"<strong>.<span class="u">..My apologies. I lack knowledge of this.</span></strong><strong>"</strong> The voice finally replied, yet his answer only left Toya with even more questions than he already had.</p><p>"<span class="u">You don't know when you got here? So you just kinda showed up one day. It must have been really recent since you only started talking today, but…</span>" Toya tried his best to wrap his head around it, but he couldn't. The situation was too odd for him to possibly think of a logical solution. "<span class="u">Either I've literally lost my mind, or it's an unexplainable situation. At this point, I don't even know which is more likely.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>It may be best not to dwell on it. There's no need to force yourself to come to an answer on this if it's not directly hindering you.</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">Yeah, I guess…</span>" It still bothered him, but there was nothing to do. He could stand still and think about it all day, but it wouldn't do him <em>or</em> the voice in his head any good. He just had to accept things the way they were, no matter how weird it was. He kept walking on, having run out of things to think about. But then, he saw someone. The transfer student that he encountered yesterday, alongside a blonde boy in a Shujin uniform. Kai told him a couple of things about the transfer student, but even he seemed to have his doubts on the matter. "<span class="u">Now that I'm thinking about it, didn't Kai tell me he wanted me to get to know him?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>That doesn't mean you should.</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">Huh? What do you mean?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>You're your own person. Should you really subject yourself to doing something solely because it's in someone else's personal interest?</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">Well...</span>" He had a point. As much as Toya wanted to deny it, he really couldn't. "<span class="u">It feels wrong not listening to him though, and I have no real reason to deny what Kai wants either. It's not like it's going to hinder my life.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>It would be a bit of a hindrance if you were to start a conversation right now. You're on the clock, remember?</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">Crap! I completely forgot!</span>" Toya started running forward, passing by the transfer student and the student he was next to, nearly bumping into them. "<span class="u">I'll figure it out once I get to class. Just have to focus on getting there on time first!</span>"</p><p>"Hey! What the hell, man!? You don't gotta sprint like that!" The blonde boy yelled at Toya, but he was already long gone. He hadn't gotten a good look at his face, so he had no clue who it was. "Where's he even off to this early in the morning, anyways?!"</p><p>"Probably school." The transfer student calmly responded, his poker face not breaking. The blonde boy froze up for a second before pulling out his phone and taking a look at the time.</p><p>"For real!? It's this late already!?" He explained, shoving his phone back into his pocket. "Hey, we gotta start running too! You're new, right? Just follow me and I'll get you there!" He turned away and started running in the same direction as Toya did, with the transfer student following close behind. However, unbeknownst to them, they would end up somewhere completely different than Toya did. Despite taking the same route and trying to go to the exact same area, fate had a different destination in mind for the two of them.</p><p>
  <strong>April 11th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Early Morning - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p>"<span class="u">I actually made it in time…</span>" Toya held his hand against a wall, catching his breath. "<span class="u">I stop exercising for a couple of weeks, and this happens? I really need to start working out again.</span>"</p><p>"You seem to have worked up quite a sweat." A man called out from the top of the stairs that led into Shujin. Toya raised his head up and made eye contact with him. He was quite tall, with black unkempt hair atop his head. He wore only a white t-shirt and jeans, with a whistle around his neck.</p><p>"You could say that." Toya stretched for a moment, regaining his composure. "I really didn't want to be late for school on my very first day. But due to the recent family issues, I haven't been able to find the time to actively work out like I used to. My stamina's been tanking as a result."</p><p>"So you're keeping tabs on your health. That's quite responsible for someone your age." He said, showing off a grin. "You said it's your first day, right? So you're one of the two transfer students."</p><p>"Oh, yeah. I saw the other one on the way here. Though…" Toya averted his eyes away, looking towards the ground. "I'm pretty sure people are gonna have their eyes on him for a while, considering… you know. Everything about his background."</p><p>"Oh, you mean <em>him</em>. Well, don't worry about that. If he were to do anything to draw public attention onto him, he'd probably get expelled on the spot." As he finished speaking, the sound of the warning bell rang throughout the school grounds, audible from just outside the main entrance. "Well, that's your cue. Go on, head to class. It'd be a shame if you ran all that way just to still be late for class."</p><p>"Yeah. I'll be going now. Thank you, Mr…" Toya paused. "I'm sorry- I don't think I ever got your name."</p><p>"Oh, that's right. It's Kamoshida. I'm the coach of the volleyball team, so I'm sure I'll be seeing you pretty soon. We do have a volleyball rally in a couple of days, after all."</p><p>"A volleyball rally? I can't say I'm too familiar with the sport, but I'll try to pay as much attention as I can." Toya started walking up the stairs, slowly walking past Kamoshida. "I'll see you then." He walked on, as Kamoshida turned his head and watched him walk off.</p><p>"<span class="u">Already an athletic build. And he's going to 'pay attention' to the rally?</span>" Kamoshida thought to himself, as a demented grin appeared on his face. "<span class="u">He'll be a fun one to break…</span>"</p><p>
  <strong>April 11th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Daytime - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p>"We're getting 2 transfer students, right?"</p><p>"You think he's the one in the rumors?"</p><p>"He might be…"</p><p>"Settle down." The teacher's voice quickly hushed the bumblings of the various students packed within the room. The teacher was Ms. Kawakami, who seemed incredibly… unmotivated, to say the very least. The way she took a gentle sigh before speaking made Toya think that she was too tired to be awake this early in the morning- but he wasn't entirely sure. "...Well, I'd like to introduce a transfer student: Toya Kazero. He'll be one of two transfer students joining us this year. All right, please say something to the class."</p><p>"It's a pleasure meeting you all." Toya spoke in a calm voice, nodding his head after speaking.</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>You're acting awfully polite to them.</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">What, are you jealous or something?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Don't be ridiculous.</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"...Uh, so… Your seat will be… Hmm…" She pointed towards a desk all the way in the back. "Over there, in the back. The other transfer student will take the seat in front of you." Toya didn't verbally respond. He instead just began walking towards his seat, sitting down in it and facing ahead.</p><p>"The other one isn't here yet?"</p><p>"That might mean the one that's here isn't the criminal."</p><p>"There's no way he cuts class on his first day here, right?"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>The people of the classroom really do enjoy gossipping, don't they?</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">Well, they <em>are </em>high schoolers. Even though I'm not into gossip, I can't say that I'm too surprised, especially given the fact that there's a student transferring with a criminal record.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Where </strong><em><strong>is </strong></em><strong>he, I wonder? We saw him on the way here.</strong></span><strong>" </strong></p><p>"<span class="u">He should be here pretty soon. At least, I'd think so…</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>If he's not here, then perhaps he is just as the rumors say.</strong></span><strong>" </strong></p><p>"<span class="u">Maybe… Even if he <em>looks </em>normal, perhaps that isn't the best way to judge his character...</span>" Toya sighed, leaning back a little while looking around. The attention was cast off of him as soon as the students thought the other transfer student was the one in the rumors. "<span class="u">I guess I'm not the center of attention anymore. Well, that's probably a good thing.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>What makes you say it's a good thing?</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">I've never really stood out in school. There were a couple of people I knew in my old school, but for the most part… I didn't really have any friends. I was usually just another face in the crowd. I kinda preferred it that way, though.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>You're going to waste your youth like that, you know.</strong></span><strong>" </strong></p><p>"<span class="u">Huh?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>You're in school, a place where you're surrounded by multiple different people your age. If you don't make any kind of an effort to fit in somewhere, then you're going to lack identity going into adulthood.</strong></span><strong>" </strong></p><p>".<span class="u">..You know, for an ominous, somewhat condescending voice that mysteriously popped up in my head one day… You seem to know quite a bit about life. What's up with that?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>...</strong></span><strong>"</strong> The voice fell silent once again.</p><p>"<span class="u">You okay in there?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>...My apologies. I tried to figure out where I got this knowledge from, but I'm not able to access my memories for some reason.</strong></span><strong>" </strong></p><p>"<span class="u">I see… Don't hurt yourself trying to figure it out, alright? I doubt you're here for no reason. The answers might just show up after some time, for all we know.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>How optimistic of you… You sound like a complete fool when you talk like that.</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">Give me <em>some </em>credit! I'm not just saying this stuff for no reason, damn it!</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Very well. I'll entertain this idea, Jester.</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">...Jester? What, are we giving each other nicknames now?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Perhaps. I think the name quite fits you.</strong></span><strong>" </strong></p><p>"<span class="u">Yeah? Well… Wait, what even <em>is </em>your name? Actually- do you even have one?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>A name…? Not that I can recall, no.</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">Then what am I supposed to call you? I can't just call you 'voice in my head' or 'fragment of my mind' forever.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>I came up with a name for you. I'll allow you to do the same for me.</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">Hm… Well, despite your knowledge of how people work, you're not exactly human. I don't wanna give you a random name.</span>" Toya closed his eyes and thought to himself. "<span class="u">Maybe a god? Or- a demon?"</span></p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Name me after a damn anime character, if it's easier. Just decide later. You're in class, remember?</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">How the hell did you know I watch anime!?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Focus on the damn class, Jester!</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">R-Right, sorry!</span>"</p><p>
  <strong>April 11th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Afternoon - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p>Apart from occasional small talk with the voice in his head, Toya found most of the first day at school rather uneventful. He was expecting as much, considering the fact that it was the first day of school. In reality, everyone was just interested in seeing what the <em>other</em> transfer student was like. The one only spoken about in whispers and rumors. Everyone was terrified of the very thought of him- a student with a criminal record, charged for assault? It wasn't surprising that people were scared at first thought.</p><p>"<span class="u">They're all way too scared for their own good…</span>" Toya leaned back further in his head, closing his eyes and focusing on his thoughts. "<span class="u">Even if he is a maniac, he'd get a life sentence if he pulled anything. They're way too afraid for their own good.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>By the time the student body realizes how idiotic they are, he'll already be gone. It's a shame, really.</strong></span><strong>" </strong></p><p>"<span class="u">Can't help but feel kinda bad for him. But, I suppose it is true that he never showed u-</span>" Just as Toya was about to finish that thought, he saw Kawakami re-enter the room with someone behind her, some familiar. Black frizzy hair atop his head with fake glasses covering his eyes… That was him. The transfer student he had met the day before.</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Speak</strong><strong> of the devil…</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"Being super late on his first day? He really is insane…"</p><p>"He looks normal though…"</p><p>"But he might slug us if we look him in the eye…"</p><p>"Settle down." Kawakami said, after taking a deep sigh. The class quickly turned quiet upon hearing her words, with all eyes on the transfer student. "...Well, I'd like to introduce a transfer student: Ren Amamiya. Today, we… had him attend from the afternoon on since he wasn't feeling well."</p><p>"<span class="u">I wonder what <em>actually </em>happened to him.</span>"</p><p>"<strong>He was with someone else this morning, wasn't he? Perhaps he has something to do with it.</strong><strong>"</strong></p><p>"Nice to meet you all." Ren spoke softly, and tried to get through his introduction fast. He seemed kind of shy now that Toya could get a good look at him, and could finally hear him speak.</p><p>"He seems quiet… but I bet when he loses it…"</p><p>"I mean, he was arrested for assault, right?"</p><p>"...Uhh, so… Your seat will be over there, the one that's open." Ren put his hands in his pockets and started walking towards his assigned seat, right in front of Toya.</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>You two are sitting rather close. Perhaps you'll get the chance to talk with him after all.</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">Yeah, maybe. He looks like he might need a friend, too.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Based on how late he got to school, he may already be friends with that one boy we saw him with.</strong></span><strong>" </strong></p><p>"...Lies. You were at the station." The girl two seats above Toya mumbled under her breath as Ren walked past her. He turned his head to see her, but didn't say anything. He just walked past her, taking his seat right behind her.</p><p>"...Did you catch that? Do those two know each other?"</p><p>"Eww… Does that mean he hit on her before transferring here?"</p><p>"That means she's cheating on him with Mr. Kamoshida. Then again, this is Takamaki we're talking about…"</p><p>"<span class="u">With Mr. Kamoshida…?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Wasn't that the PE teacher you encountered outside the school gate?</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">It was. He seemed like a decent guy… Is there something more to him?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Oh, right! The volleyball rally's in two days… Everyone's just changed classes, so make sure you use that time to get to know each other.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">You thinking what I'm thinking?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>We literally have the same mind. How can I not be thinking the same thing as you?</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p><span class="u">"Just go with it, man!</span>" Toya shook his head, taking a breath. "<span class="u">We might be able to dig some stuff up about Kamoshida at that rally. He said he's the coach of the PE team, right? Maybe I can get some information out of the team members.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Let's think more about that after school.</strong></span><strong>" </strong></p><p>"<span class="u">Right."</span></p><p>
  <strong>April 11th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p>The first day of classes finally came to an end. Toya predicted it to be uneventful, but he learned a few interesting things- namely about the coach of the volleyball team, Kamoshida.</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>So what's the plan, Jester? Are you going to go try befriending the transfer student?</strong></span><strong>" </strong></p><p>"<span class="u">As much as I want to… I'm more interested in what I heard about Kamoshida right now. I think it'd be a better use of my time if I looked into him instead.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>And just how do you plan on accomplishing that?</strong></span><strong>" </strong></p><p>"<span class="u">My brother, Kai. He's a detective- he works for the police. If I tell him about it, I'm sure I can get him to look into it.</span>" Just as Toya finished communicating with the voice, he turned a corner and bumped into someone, causing both of them to stumble back. Toya managed to stay on his feet, but the other person lost his balance and fell over.</p><p>"Oww…" He said, slightly whimpering.</p><p>"M-My bad! I wasn't paying any attention." Toya quickly reached his hand out to the other student, who took a hold of it and used the help to back up on his feet.</p><p>"Thanks…" Once he finished helping him up, Toya got a good look at his face. He had spiky blue hair and black eyes. For the most part he actually looked fairly normal, until seeing the countless injuries plastered on his face. It wasn't normal, by any means.</p><p>"Hey… Are you alright? You're in pretty rough shape."</p><p>"Huh? No, it's… It's nothing."</p><p>"Are you sure? I can help you get to the nurse's office if you need."</p><p>"I'm fine… It's just from practice. Mr. Kamoshida works us really hard."</p><p>"Kamoshida… Volleyball team, right?"</p><p>"Yeah… S-Sorry, I have to go." Without giving Toya a chance to respond, the blue haired boy ran off without looking back.</p><p>"<span class="u">Kamoshida again…</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Surely this isn't coincidental.</strong></span><strong>" </strong></p><p>"<span class="u">No way. There's gotta be something bigger going on… I need to get to my brother. He'll probably be at work for a while, though.</span>" Toya stepped out of the school, starting to walk towards the station. "<span class="u">Oh yeah, I forgot to mention something. I think I finally thought of a name for you.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Let me guess… You didn't pay any attention in class, did you?</strong></span><strong>" </strong></p><p>"<span class="u">T-That's not important! Besides, focusing on a class when I have a voice in my head to communicate with is… It's just weird, man!</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Fair enough. So, what will it be?</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">How does... Osiris sound?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Osiris…? Hmm… Very well. I'll accept such a name.</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">Awesome! Alright, that's your name from now on!</span>" Toya couldn't quite explain it, but he felt so… happy. Hearing Osiris accept the name he had thought up gave him this sense of fulfillment that he couldn't even begin to comprehend. "<span class="u">You know… It's so strange. I thought I'd be terrified of you, but… I kind of like having you around. It's like… I have an actual friend for once. Even if this year is already starting to look really weird, I don't think it's gonna be too bad.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>So sentimental…</strong></span><strong>"</strong> Toya heard an echoey laughter in his mind. <strong>"</strong><span class="u"><strong>Very well. Come on, we should get going.</strong></span><strong>"</strong></p><p>"<span class="u">Yeah. Let's get back home and wait for Kai to come back.</span>"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>There's something really nice about recognizing old usernames from the original story coming back to read this one. </p><p>Speaking of the old story, allow me to clarify one thing for anyone who isn't coming from twitter where I had originally said this: No, you do NOT need to read the original for this. There are some things that you might not get right away, but everything will be re-explained. People who read the original will just understand sooner.</p><p>On that note, I'd like to ask that nobody in reviews talks too much about things that happened in the original story that haven't happened yet. There will still be a few constants, and I still want to surprise new faces with old tricks. </p><p> </p><p>As I said, I'll get to questions at the end of every chapter. </p><p>"Pairing?"</p><p>While there was a pairing in the original story, I'm not sure what's going to happen with that now. If it happens, I want it to fit with the story. So for now, I'm not going to give a word on if a ship will happen or not. Just know that it's something that will continue to linger in my mind.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Promise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Before we start, for the sake of clarity: I'm going to continue trying to post a chapter every other day, at Noon EST. If I miss a day, then I'm sorry. I'll at least update you all on Twitter (@Kazero5340) if I need to.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>April 11th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Evening - Kazero Household</strong>
</p><p>After a long day full of confusion and excitement, Toya finally found himself home alone. Well, alone wasn't exactly accurate, but it was as close to alone as he possibly could get due to the new development in his life- that being Osiris, the condescending voice in his head. Despite initially being afraid of him, Toya was slowly growing fond of having Osiris around in his head. It was the first time he felt like he had an actual friend, which felt surprisingly nice.</p><p>"<span class="u">No homework at all yet? Maybe my luck is finally starting to turn around…</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>To an extent, perhaps. There are still unfortunate circumstances surrounding you, though.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">You mean all that stuff we heard about Kamoshida, right?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Of course. We have no idea how much of it is true, but a lot of signs are pointing towards him having a darker personality than first meets the eye.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Well, that's what we're trying to find out. Speaking of, I think it's about time I talked to my brother about that. He might not be home for a while, so it's probably for the best that I just call him instead.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Very well. Go on, I'll be listening.</strong></span>"</p><p>
  <strong>April 11th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Evening - Police Department</strong>
</p><p>Meanwhile, multiple train rides away from home, Kai found himself stuck in the police department once again. There were an overwhelming amount of cases piling up for him to look into, and it was taking a toll on his mental state. Usually he'd have no problem getting through cases like this over the course of a few days, but these were different. They all had something in common that he just couldn't entirely wrap his head around, those being psychotic breakdowns. He had a hunch about them, but he couldn't figure out how they were being caused, and who was doing it. However, luckily for him, he didn't have to do all the work alone. There was someone who was actually doing an amazing job of pinning these cases on people, and had been doing so for quite a while now, despite only being a rookie detective. Kai was set to meet him in person later this week, which helped ease his nerves a bit. It still hurt his pride that he had to resort to someone else helping him out on these cases, but there was nothing to be done. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, trying to rest his eyes. But moments after he did, he felt a vibration in his pocket- a phone call. He took his phone out and answered, putting it next to his ear.</p><p>"Hello?"</p><p>"Hey, Kai? There's something I wanted to speak with you about."</p><p>"I'm kind of busy right now, Toya. Can't this wait?"</p><p>"It'll be quick, I promise! It's just... It's something about Shujin. Something I thought you'd want to know."</p><p>"Alright, alright... What is it?"</p><p>"Everywhere I go, I hear rumors about this PE teacher I met when I got there. He seemed like a nice guy, but... The rumors are off putting."</p><p>"You're listening to rumors...? You know better than that, don't you?"</p><p>"I know, I know. But... I don't know. Something about this just feels... different. Can't you at least consider this, even if it's low priority for you?"</p><p>"Fine, fine. What's his name?"</p><p>"Kamoshida."</p><p>"Kamoshida? That sounds familiar..."</p><p>"He's the coach of the volleyball team, if that helps. There's a rumor going around that he has a thing with one of the female students in my class, but... that's not all. I saw someone going to practice before I left school, and he looked really banged up. Turns out he's on the volleyball team. Those injuries... They couldn't have been from practice. There's definitely something going on, I know it!"</p><p>"...Tell you what. See if you can dig anything else up at school tomorrow- maybe from the kid you saw earlier. If you can get something out of him, I might be able to find the chance to look further into it. How's that sound?"</p><p>"Okay, deal! I'll get what I can out of him tomorrow and tell you what I find out. Thanks, Kai!"</p><p>"Yeah, no problem. Make sure you sleep soon, alright? I don't know if I'll even be home tonight, so don't go waiting for me to get back."</p><p>"Don't worry, I'll sleep soon. I'll talk to you tomorrow, bye." The two of them hung up the phone, as Kai slowly put it back in his pocket.</p><p>"Kamoshida... Come to think of it..." He sat back up, closing his eyes and resting his hand against his chin. "I remember hearing a few calls about a Kamoshida, but I was never given the go-ahead to investigate any further. What's up with that...?"</p><p>
  <strong>April 12th, 20XX (Tuesday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Daytime - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>He's here on time today.</strong></span>" Osiris's voice echoed in Toya's mind as he sat still in his chair, sitting just behind Ren Amamiya, the more notorious transfer student of the 2.</p><p>"<span class="u">I wonder why he was even late yesterday. I mean, he was only a few minutes away from the school when we saw him yesterday morning. Why come that close <em>just</em>to skip?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>It probably has to do with the other student. Do you recall what he looked like?</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">No, I don't… I think I'd remember him if I saw him, though. Anyways, we have more important things to worry about. We have to get answers out of that one student we bumped into yesterday. Though, finding him might be…</span>" Before he could even finish the thought, Toya saw someone familiar walk into the classroom. Sure enough, it was the same blue haired boy from yesterday. "<span class="u">...Really? He's been in my class and I'm only JUST realizing this now?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>You're as oblivious as ever.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">D-Don't act like you saw him before I did!</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>I'm literally inside your head. I can only see him if you look at him.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Yeah yeah, real convenient excuse…</span>" Toya shook his head and stretched his arms. "<span class="u">Anyways, that's not important. What's important is that we find him after school and talk to him about what's really going on at practice.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>And what if he doesn't give you a proper response?</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Then… Uh…</span>"</p><p>"<strong>.<span class="u">..You didn't even consider that.</span></strong>"</p><p>"<span class="u">I'm an optimist, alright!? I don't like to think about the chain reaction of something going wrong!</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Jester is slowly becoming more and more of a fitting name for you...</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Again with the nickname…</span>" The sound of the bell rang throughout the halls moments later, causing the various different chats happening within the classroom to slowly come to a close. This didn't include the conversation happening within Toya's mind, though.</p><p>
  <strong>April 12th, 20XX (Tuesday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p>"<span class="u">School feels SO much longer when you know you have to do something as soon as classes are over…</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Do you usually not have any plans?</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Nah. Apart from training, I didn't really have many hobbies.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>How did someone like you get so into physical training, anyways? You don't seem like the type for it.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">It… It was for my father. It's kind of a long story, and this is hardly the time or place for it.</span>" Toya looked down for a moment, before suddenly remembering what he had to do. He quickly lifted his head back up and turned towards the door to the classroom, and saw the blue haired boy start walking out of the room. "<span class="u">Damn it, I got distracted! We'll talk about this later!"</span> Toya got out of his seat and quickly got out of the classroom, following the boy he encountered yesterday downstairs to the first floor.</p><p>"Hey, wait up!" He called out to him, as the boy slowly turned around to face him.</p><p>"Oh, it's you…" He put his hands in his pockets, avoiding eye contact with Toya. "What is it?"</p><p>"Well first of all, I never got your name yesterday. Kind of hard to have a conversation with someone without knowing their name."</p><p>"...It's Mishima."</p><p>"Mishima, huh? I'm Toya Kazero- just call me Toya. Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about something that's been on my mind since yesterday."</p><p>"I don't think this is a good time. I don't wanna be late for practice again…"</p><p>"It'll be quick, I promise! And then you can go do whatever it is you wanna do after that."</p><p>"...Okay. What is it?"</p><p>"Well, it's actually about your practice. Um…" Toya looked around to make sure nobody was listening in on their conversation. "Kamoshida isn't… hurting you, right?"</p><p>"W-What!?" The question got a reaction out of Mishima, one that didn't fit his previous demeanor at all. "L-Look, that's just a rumor! Kamoshida doesn't-"</p><p>"Your face is covered in bruises… Not to mention the massive bandage around your arm." Toya pointed out, causing Mishima to take a step back. "Look, I'm not gonna rat you out for telling me, or anything like that. My brother works for the police, he can help with-"</p><p>"L-Look… You don't know what you're talking about, alright? Just… Just leave me alone." He turned his head and started jogging away. Toya was going to stop him, but stopped himself from doing so at the last second to avoid causing a scene.</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>That didn't help much.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">He might not have confirmed it directly… But now, I'm sure something's going on. You saw how he reacted when I asked him that, right?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>I did. Though, making a call and going somewhere with it off of something like that is fruitless. You're just going to waste your time like that.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Yeah, probably…</span>" Toya turned around and headed for the school exit, walking outside and crossing the street. "<span class="u">Well, maybe we'll be able to figure something out at the rally tomorrow… That's probably our best shot at this point, right?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Yeah. All we can do until then is wait. Shouldn't you call your brother and tell him what happened?</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Yeah, I sho-</span>"</p><p>"I knew it- it IS a navigation app! There's even your search history! Oh man, I'm such a genius! Let's try usin' it." Toya's thoughts were cut off by someone's voice- someone in the real world. He looked around for a moment, before noticing two people just outside of the school. He instantly recognized one of them as Ren, the other transfer student. But the other one...</p><p>"<span class="u">Hey… That's him! The one we saw yesterday!</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>What are those two talking about? Get closer.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Got it.</span>" Toya slowly started walking closer, trying not to get their attention.</p><p>"Kamoshida… Shujin Academy… Pervert… Castle…" A robotic voice came from the phone in the blonde student's hand. "Beginning navigation."</p><p>"There we go! Then, we went in a certain direction, and-" In the middle of him talking, Toya suddenly felt a pain in his head. "Hey, what're you… Huh? What the hell!?" The pain in Toya's head slowly got more extreme, as the world around him slowly started becoming… distorted. He closed his eyes and held on to his head, gritting his teeth in pain.</p><p>
  <strong>April 12th, 20XX (Tuesday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Kamoshida's Castle (Castle Gate)</strong>
</p><p>"Look! It's the castle from yesterday!" Toya heard the voice of the student again, and then heard the sound of him running forward with someone following right behind him- presumably Ren.</p><p>"<span class="u">Castle…? What're they…</span>" Toya slowly opened his eyes, and his jaw fell. Right in front of him, where the school used to be… was a massive castle. "<span class="u">WHAT THE HELL-</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>This definitely goes beyond a hallucination… You didn't take some kind of drug while I wasn't paying attention, did you?</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Hell no! I would never do something like that!</span>" Toya started looking around. Ren and the other student didn't seem to notice him yet. He started slowly stepping back, mostly out of fear and confusion. "<span class="u">Okay, I don't know what the hell is going on here… But those two HAVE to be responsible, right…!?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Look closer. Ren's clothes…</strong></span>" Upon hearing Osiris's words, Toya took a closer look, and sure enough… Ren looked completely different. He was wearing a long black coat, with red gloves.</p><p>"<span class="u">Okay, yeah. This HAS to be because of them! The blonde dude was freaking out about some… navigation app, right? What kind of phone app does something like this!?</span>" Toya's thoughts raced through his mind faster than ever before, so much so that he stopped focusing on where he was walking and lost his balance, tripping and falling back.</p><p>
  <strong>April 12th, 20XX (Tuesday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p>"<span class="u">Oww… I got completely panicked…</span>" Toya put one hand down to help pick himself back up, but once he got up, he noticed that things were… normal. The castle was gone, and in its place was the school that was originally there. "...What?"</p><p>"<strong><span class="u">The school is back, yet those two aren't</span>.</strong>"</p><p>"<span class="u">...Man. There's no way that was real, right…? That must've been some crazy fever dream, or something…</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Perhaps you should just rest when you get home.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Yeah… Maybe…</span>" Toya stuffed his hand into his pocket, grabbing his phone and pulling it out. "<span class="u">I'll just give Kai a call now and take a nap when I get home. That's probably the best course of… action…</span>" Toya's thoughts stopped. There was an app Toya had never seen before on his home screen. The icon was a red and black eye, and… Something about it was bone chilling. "<span class="u">Y-You see this too, right…?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>I do. What <em>is</em> it</strong><strong> though? Surely it can't be just a hallucination anymore.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">You know what? I don't know, and I don't care. Nope. Not getting involved with it.</span>" He quickly dragged the app down to the bottom of his screen, deleting it from his phone. "<span class="u">Nope. No way. Whatever that was, that is NOT my business. Nope. Not at all.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>I understand being a bit unnerved, but you're downright terrified.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Me? Scared? No, nononononononono. No way. Me? Never. Impossible. No.</span>"</p><p>"<strong>Jester.</strong>"</p><p>"<span class="u">W-We're not continuing this conversation! Nope! Just gonna go home and take a nap! Sleep solves ALL of my problems and this is NOT an exception to that!</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>You're an idiot.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">A smart idiot!</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>That doesn't even make sense!</strong></span>"</p><p>
  <strong>April 12th, 20XX (Tuesday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Evening - Kazero Household</strong>
</p><p>"<strong>...up…</strong>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Zzz…</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>...ake up…</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Nn… huh…?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Wake up, damn it!</strong></span>" The sudden yell made Toya's eyes jolt open, causing him to quickly sit up. "<span class="u"><strong>God's sake... How heavy of a sleeper are you?</strong></span>"</p><p>"Man, that was a great dream too…" Toya rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Why'd you have to wake me up…?"</p><p>"Who are you talking to?"</p><p>"What do you mea-" Toya took a moment to process the voice he just heard. "K-Kai!? What're you doing here!?"</p><p>"...I live here."</p><p>"O-Oh, right…"</p><p>"Seriously, are you <em>that</em> disoriented when you wake up?"</p><p>"Y-Yeah, sorry." Toya stretched and yawned again.</p><p>"You didn't answer my question. Who were you talking to?"</p><p>"Huh?"</p><p>"You said, 'Why'd you have to wake me up?'. Who were you talking to?"</p><p>"O-Oh, I was talking to… uh…"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Your phone.</strong></span>"</p><p>"My phone! I got some spam email, or something. The notification is what woke me up!"</p><p>"Is that so…" Kai stared at Toya for a minute, before closing his eyes and sighing. "Well, I guess that's not important." Toya took a breath of relief.</p><p>"<span class="u">Thanks for the save…</span>"</p><p>"<strong>Mhm.</strong>"</p><p>"Anyways, now that you're up, I wanted to talk about the conversation we had last night."</p><p>"Last night?" Toya closed his eyes and thought back while rubbing his eyes again. "Oh, you mean the stuff about Kamoshida?"</p><p>"Yeah, that. I trust you talked to the boy you mentioned to me?"</p><p>"Yeah, I did. But as soon as I asked, he got really defensive. Said I was crazy and stuff, then he ran off."</p><p>"Sounds like he's hiding something."</p><p>"It does. But I can't prove anything like that…" Toya looked down. "I know there's something going on… I <em>know</em> it. But I can't do anything about it if he's gonna deny me like that."</p><p>"...Look. I wanna help. But I can't do anything without something concrete. I can only call so many shots on my own." Kai slowly moved forward and took a seat next to Toya. "He really rubbed off on you, didn't he…?"</p><p>"Huh? Who?"</p><p>"Dad. You're just like him. Or, well… You have his intentions." Hearing this sparked something in Toya's mind, jogging his memory of something from long ago. His heart ached ever so slightly because of it.</p><p>"I'm not sure I follow."</p><p>"...Ah, forget it. It's nothing." Kai stood back up, walking away and turning his head back. "Just tell me if you figure something out, alright? I'll do anything I can."</p><p>"Yeah. I will." The two of them nodded at each other before Kai walked back downstairs. That conversation, though… It was the first time where it felt like the gap between the two of them was closing. At least, that's how it felt for Toya. He had no idea whether or not that was actually the case from Kai's perspective, but he liked to believe so.</p><p>"<span class="u">What a day…</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>You slept through half of it.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Oh, shut up!</span>" Toya laid back down, grabbing his phone and holding it in the air above him. "<span class="u">What time is it, anyways…?</span>" He turned the screen on, and… He was met with something he never expected. "<span class="u">T-The app...!?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>I thought you uninstalled it.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">I did! How the hell did it come back!?</span>" Despite knowing fully well that he got rid of it, he saw it there with his very eyes. The same red and black eye that he saw earlier, that found its way onto his phone all of a sudden earlier in the day. "<span class="u">The Metaverse Navigator…? Seriously, what the hell is this thing?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Are you still scared of it?</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">I was NOT scared!</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>If that's the case, then leave it on your phone.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">What!? No way!</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>What? Don't tell me you're scared of some app.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">...Fine, you're on! I'll leave the creepy looking icon in my phone from now on! Easy! No problem at all!</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>This is gonna be comical.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Oh, shut up! I'm going back to sleep!</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>You just slept for 6 hours...</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Yeah? I'm sleeping for another 6.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>...How do you even function!?</strong></span>" Toya wanted to respond, but his mind was in a different place. He wasn't sleepy at all, but instead… He was lost in thought, so to speak. "<span class="u"><strong>I can feel the weight on your mind. What is it?</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">...It's complicated.</span>" Toya stared up at the ceiling, his entire mood shifting. "<span class="u">I've been thinking about a promise I made to someone recently. And, hearing what Kai said… It reminded me of that promise again.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>What was it?</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">It was a promise to my dad. I promised him I'd… See something through.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Your father… I haven't heard you speak of him much.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Well, yeah. It kinda hurts to think about him, after…</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>...What happened?</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">You actually wanna know?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>I'm a part of you. It only feels right that we remain honest to each other.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Yeah, I guess. Well… It all started earlier this month. Kai told me that he wanted to see me, and actually get to know me.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Aren't you two brothers?</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">I'm adopted. By the time I was a part of the family, Kai had moved out. And, to be honest… I don't think he and my dad were on good terms with each other.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Why's that?</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Kai rarely ever spoke to him. And, when he did… He always had so much malice in his voice. My dad tried his best to mend the bond between them, but… I don't think Kai wanted that.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>What happened between the two of them?</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">That's an entirely different story that I don't know any of. It's… Not really my business, anyways. I asked Dad once, but he just kinda… Frowned. It was the first time I saw him so sad. I never brought it up again.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>It sounds like you really cared about him.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Yeah. That was always mutual. Me and Kai never really got a chance to speak much before that, though. Anyways- I'm getting off topic. Me and Kai went out and got something to eat. I remember we went to Big Bang Burger, and I tried taking on this crazy challenge to see if I could eat a giant burger within a time limit. I think it was called the Comet Burger or something. Damn thing was as big as my head.</span>" Toya started chuckling under his breath. ".<span class="u">..That day started off so fun. The look on Kai's face when I finished that burger was priceless. He thought I was crazy, but… I felt really proud of it, in a way. Me and Kai went home right after to tell my dad about it… But we were too late.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>...He died, didn't he?</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">I always wondered… When did it happen? How long after I left? When… and how…?</span>" He wiped a tear from his eye. "<span class="u">...I wish I could've seen him one last time. Or at least gotten a chance to say goodbye… I never got that.</span>" He paused, and then chuckled again. "<span class="u">Maybe you're right. 'Jester' really is a fitting name for me, huh?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>That doesn't have to be a bad thing.</strong></span>"</p><p>"Huh?"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Sure, you're foolish. And a lot more wimpy than you really want to admit. But… That's what makes you different. You have heart. Morals. That's why you do these things that seem so… Objectively idiotic. Because for whatever reason, you're driven to try and help out in some way. Even if it's foolish… it's admirable.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">...You know just what to tell me, don't you?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>I'm a part of you. Of course I know what to say to you.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Yeah… I guess you are.</span>" There was a moment of silence. Then, Toya laughed, which was followed by Osiris starting to chuckle as well. For a minute, there were no words exchanged. They just silently understood the situation they were in, and the bond that was growing between them. "...Thanks."</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Of course.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Oh, one more thing. That one promise I made to my dad…</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Hm? What was it?</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">I promised him that… I wouldn't stop fighting. For the things that he and I both believed in. The things that he wanted to do, but couldn't anymore. He taught me how to defend myself, and to stand up for what I believe in. And I promised him that I would continue doing so, even if something happened to him.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>How noble.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Do you think… you can make sure I don't forget it again?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Of course. That will be <em>my</em> promise to you.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">...I'm really glad I got to know you.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>As am I, Jester.</strong></span>" Another moment of silence happened between them. "<span class="u"><strong>It's starting to get late. You should get back to sleep.</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Yeah. Tomorrow… I'm gonna keep working on that promise. I'll keep fighting for what I believe in.</span>" Toya raised his hand above him and clenched it into a fist. "<span class="u">Starting with Kamoshida!</span>"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I like writing Toya so much more in this story. It just feels... Right. It's much different than what I originally envisioned for him, sure. But he feels... Real. And I like that.</p><p>Anyways, I think it's time to re-introduce Toya's Confidant ranks. I said this on Twitter, but I know that most of you don't follow me there, so allow me to reexplain it here. The Arcana of most characters won't match what they are in the original game. The reason for this is simple: I just think these fit better. Every character Toya has a Confidant with (with the exception of one but that's probably obvious) will have a different Arcana than it did in the original. Now that we're through with that, here's his Confidant ranks as of the end of this chapter:</p><p>Osiris [The JESTER] - Rank 2<br/>Takuto Maruki [The EMPEROR] - Rank 1<br/>Eishi Kazero [DEATH] - Rank 2<br/>Kai Kazero [JUDGEMENT] - Rank 1</p><p>And finally, only one question from the last chapter:</p><p>"Didn’t you go with Akira for the other protagonist’s name in the original? I noticed that you used Ren here."</p><p>Over the course of the past year, I've come to accept the fact Ren is actually his canon name, rather than Akira.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Castle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>April 13th, 20XX (Wednesday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Afternoon - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p>For the most part, it had been a quiet day at Shujin Academy. Everyone was in their respective classes, waiting for the real event of the day- that being the volleyball rally. Everyone in the school knew about it, and almost everyone was excited for it- with very few exceptions. Toya was in an odd position in terms of his personal excitement. On one hand, he didn't care about volleyball at all. However, he DID care about seeing if he could find any evidence on Kamoshida. It was all that he really cared about in terms of the rally, and of school in general for the day.</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"The game is finally starting."</strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Sheesh… What was the hold up for?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"Hold on. Look at the person in the middle of the field."</strong>
  </span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Huh? ...Wait, is that…"</span> The spiky blue hair was something Toya was slowly growing accustomed to. Sure enough, there he was. Mishima was on the field… and on the other side of the net was Kamoshida, staring directly at him. "I've got a bad feeling about this…"</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"Yeah. This can end pretty poorly pretty fast."</strong>
  </span>
</p><p><span class="u">"...God, the more I look, the worse I feel for him. I mean, just look at his face."</span> The depressed expression painted the picture that Mishima refused to show with words. He doesn't even enjoy volleyball anymore- it's hard to say if he ever did in the first place. But, there he was. Being forced to play against the coach of the volleyball team.</p><p><strong>"Wait… is Kamoshida…!?"</strong> Toya quickly shifted his gaze at Kamoshida. He was running forward and jumping into the air, with his hand raised above his head.</p><p><span class="u">"He's staring right at Mishima…! And… Mishima's not even moving!?"</span> Worry coursed through Toya's mind, but there was nothing he could do. The sound of Kamoshida's hand colliding with the ball filled the room… followed by the sound of the ball colliding with Mishima's head. No verbal reaction. He just fell over, collapsing onto the ground.</p><p>"Sorry!" Kamoshida yelled out as he ran under the net, making his way towards Mishima. "Someone, take him to the nurse's office!"</p><p><span class="u">"We've seen all we need to see."</span> Toya quickly got up and ran towards the scene, lifting Mishima up by his arms. He was even lighter than he looked, as Toya was able to carry Mishima with relatively low effort.</p><p>"All right, let's resume the match!" Kamoshida yelled, getting back to the other side of the net.</p><p><span class="u">"He doesn't care in the slightest…"</span> For a moment, Toya just stared at Kamoshida. That fake smile he put on… The way he moved around, acted like he was some kind of superstar and had everyone's attention… It was aggravating. Infuriating, even.</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"I haven't felt this much anger from you before."</strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"He doesn't even care that he hurt Mishima! He just acknowledged it and got him out of his way, then immediately went back to showing off to everyone!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"What are you going to do, then?"</strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"...I'll get anything I can out of Mishima. I might not be able to do anything to Kamoshida personally, but it's fine. So long as he gets what's coming to him."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"Will that satisfy you?"</strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Yeah. The officials can be the ones to judge him. I'll only get as involved as I need to."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"I suppose it wouldn't be good if you ruined your reputation this early in the school year."</strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Yeah. Well, first thing's first…" Toya lifted Mishima up a bit higher, making his way towards the nurse's office. "Let's get this guy to the nurse."</span>
</p><p>
  <strong>April 13th, 20XX (Wednesday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p>"Ugh… My head…" Slowly coming to, Mishima sat up and looked around. The nurse's office… He had been here more than he wanted to admit, especially in recent times.</p><p>"You feeling any better?" The voice made him jump up a bit. He followed the sound with his eyes and saw Toya leaning against the wall, having not seen him while originally looking around.</p><p>"...How long have you been here?"</p><p>"I carried you from the gym to here, and didn't go back. It's been… I don't know, maybe an hour?"</p><p>"Why'd you stick around…?"</p><p>"Because I'm worried. I mean, for God's sake… He spiked you. Right in the forehead. You were out like a light in no time." Mishima didn't say anything. He just averted his eyes away. "...But you're used to it. It's not the first time he's hit you in the face, right?"</p><p>"That's…!"</p><p>"Stop it. Just… Give it up, man." Mishima stuttered and looked down, closing his eyes. Toya took a seat next to him. "...I wanna help you. I wanna help everyone on the team. You guys… You're all suffering, aren't you?" No response, apart from a soft, sorrow filled sigh. Toya took his phone out, quickly opening a recording app. "You don't even need to look at Kamoshida. You can stay right there. Just… say it. I'll send it to my brother. We'll make sure your name is nowhere to be found in the entire thing, if that's what you want. We just… We just need you to cooperate with us on this one thing.</p><p>"...There's no point." Mishima lifted his head. He looked in Toya's direction, but… He wasn't looking at him. He was just staring into nothingness. "Proving that he's physically abusing us… is meaningless. Everybody knows… The principal, our parents… They all know, and they all keep quiet about it."</p><p>"What…!? No, no way! That's…"</p><p>"...Don't be a pain. You don't understand what I'm going through. You think we haven't tried the police? They aren't doing anything about it either." Toya tried to respond, but he couldn't find the words. Mishima slowly got up and started walking away, looking down at the floor the entire time.</p><p>"Hey… Hey, wait!" He didn't listen. He just kept going, never turning his head. "Damn it…"</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"This is an unexpected turn of events."</strong>
  </span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Yeah…"</span> Toya slammed his fist against the nearby desk. <span class="u">"Damn it! Even the police know about this, and they're not doing anything either!? Why is he being allowed to get away with this!?"</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"Can your brother do nothing about it?"</strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"No… He works for them. Even if the information wasn't relayed to him originally… It won't matter. Apparently our own police department is corrupt… Ugh!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"...What do you want to do now, then?"</strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"...I don't know. Go home, see if I can talk to Kai when he gets home… I don't know what else I can do."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"There is one thing I'm curious about investigating."</strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Huh?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"The app. The one from yesterday."</strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"You mean the Metaverse Navigator? Why're you interested in that all of a sudden?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"Try to recall the moments just before you were in that other world, or whatever it was. Do you remember what you heard?"</strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Uh… It was…"</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>?: "Kamoshida… Shujin Academy… Pervert… Castle… Beginning navigation."</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span class="u">"It said 'Beginning navigation'... You think that's because it was the app?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"It also said 'Kamoshida' and 'Castle'. All signs are pointing towards that castle holding more secrets than we could have thought."</strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"I guess we have nothing better to do right now… It might be kinda dangerous though..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"Don't tell me you're too scared."</strong>
  </span>
</p><p><span class="u">"I'm not scared, damn it! Watch, I'll go there right the hell now!"</span> Toya started running off, making his way towards the exit of the building.</p><p>Meanwhile, outside of the main exit, Mishima found himself with some more… unwanted company. Ren Amamiya, and the boy he had been hanging around since his enrollment.</p><p>"I'll tell you the same thing I told the other transfer student… There's no point." He said to them, looking away. "Everyone knows he's physically abusing us… Nobody cares. The transfer student's brother works for the police… And even he can't do anything about it. There's nothing you two can do."</p><p>"This has gotta be a joke…" The blonde haired boy responded, staring at Mishima.</p><p>"Just give it up already. Shouldn't you of all people know that nothing's going to help!?" Mishima raised his voice before running off in the other direction. They stared at him as he ran off.</p><p>"Dammit…"</p><p>"What now? You're not giving up, are you?" Ren asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.</p><p>"No, I'm not…" He took a breath. "The other transfer student… He's probably home by now. Let's try talking to him tomorrow. That's... all we can do…" The two of them nodded at each other, before walking out of the building and going their separate ways. A minute or so later, Toya walked out of the building as well, stopping just beside the steps and taking out his phone. He opened the Metaverse Navigator and stared at the screen.</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"Go on. Enter in the words we heard."</strong>
  </span>
</p><p>"Kamoshida… Shujin Academy… Castle." Toya whispered into his phone in a shaky voice.</p><p>"Destination found. Beginning navigation."</p><p><span class="u">"Here goes nothing…"</span> Toya closed his eyes and clenched onto his phone tightly, as the world around him started to completely shift in every single aspect.</p><p>
  <strong>April 13th, 20XX (Wednesday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Kamoshida's Castle (Castle Gate)</strong>
</p><p>The air itself felt different. Everything about the environment around him was weird. It didn't even feel like he was on Earth anymore… He was somewhere else entirely. At least, that's what it felt like.</p><p><span class="u">"This is just as weird as it was yesterday… A-Are you sure it was a good idea to come here?"</span> Toya said as he slowly walked forward. The castle… It was absolutely massive, and intimidating to look at.</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"What's the worst that can happen?"</strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"I don't know! W-What if there's monsters, or-"</span>
</p><p>"Halt!" The yell caused Toya to freeze in place. The entrance to the castle opened, as three knights in silver armor charged out, with large swords and shields in their hands.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"OR KNIGHTS! WITH VERY SHARP SWORDS! THAT'S UP THERE WITH SOME OF THE WORST THINGS THAT CAN HAPPEN!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"Shut up and focus, damn it! Or do you wanna figure out how sharp the swords really are!?"</strong>
  </span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Well if you have any bright ideas, I'm listening!"</span> Toya started slowly backing away while looking around.</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"There! The barrels!"</strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"The barrels!? The hell do you want me to do with those!?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"Pick one up and hit one of them with it, damn it!"</strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"How the hell is that gonna work!?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"If you have any better ideas, then go for it!"</strong>
  </span>
</p><p><span class="u">"...Damn it, fine!"</span> Toya ran towards the barrels that were on the ground as the three knights chased him down, with one of them being further ahead than the other. Without looking back, Toya quickly grabbed the barrel and lifted it up. <span class="u">"This thing is HEAVY!"</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"The knight is near you! Attack it, now!"</strong>
  </span>
</p><p><span class="u">"On it!"</span> Toya grit his teeth and turned his head, staring the knight down. Using all of his body weight, he swung the barrel as hard as he possibly could. The barrel smashed into bits against the knight's armor, but it was enough to cause it to drop its sword and shield.</p><p><span class="u"><strong>"Finish him!"</strong></span> Without responding, Toya picked the sword up and stabbed through the open hole in it's helmet. The knight let out a groan of pain, before fading away into a black mist.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"HOLY SHIT THAT WORKED?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"Hype yourself up later! You're still in danger!"</strong>
  </span>
</p><p><span class="u">"R-Right!"</span> The knights were closing in on him, with one running ahead of the other. The one in front lifted up his sword, ready to slash at Toya above. He reached for the shield that the fallen knight dropped, holding it above him and defending himself from the attack. However, after he did, he saw the other knight closing in, trying to attack him from the side. He grunted and pushed forward, causing the knight whose sword was clashing against his shield to stagger and fumble back. With his movement being freed, he stared down the final knight before charging straight into it, bashing against it with his shield. "<span class="u">Okay, this is REALLY cool! Like, REALLY really cool!"</span></p><p><span class="u"><strong>"You're like a child…"</strong></span> The two knights got up on their feet once again.</p><p><span class="u">"Oh, come on! You can't tell me that this isn't really cool!"</span> Even in the midst of Toya hyping himself up, he noticed something was… off. The knights were twitching in place, dropping their weapons to the floor. <span class="u">"Wait, what the hell are they-"</span> Suddenly, the knights turned into a red and black liquid, sinking into the floor. A moment later, they re-emerged as floating Jack-o-Lanterns, carrying lanterns. "<span class="u">REMEMBER THE PART I SAID ABOUT MONSTERS?"</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"Your confidence went down quickly."</strong>
  </span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Not MY fault they turned into floating pumpkins with eyes!"</span> As the two of them were bickering, one of the Jack-o-Lanterns began spinning around, before suddenly shooting fire from his lantern straight at Toya. He instinctively lifted his shield up to block the hit, but it still pushed him back a considerable amount. <span class="u">"AND THEY HAVE MAGIC?"</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"Seems like it's a good time to run away."</strong>
  </span>
</p><p><span class="u">"YEP, SOUNDS GOOD TO ME"</span> Toya threw the shield at them and turned around, running all the way back to where he came from.</p><p>
  <strong>April 13th, 20XX (Wednesday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p><span class="u">"We got out… Somehow..."</span> Toya held on to his knees, breathing heavily. "What the hell was that!?"</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"Your guess is as good as mine. However, it's fair to assume that Ren knows a thing or two about it, as well as the other student."</strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Too bad we can't just ask him 'Hey, what were up with the floating pumpkin heads that tried to light me on fire?'."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"I mean, you can."</strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"I don't think I wanna tell him about it yet. Not until I figure out what his goal is with it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"Fair enough. What's the plan, then?"</strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"The same as it was before. Talk to Kai, tell him the bad news. And… I don't know what else after that. I don't know if we can do anything with that world at this point… At least, not until we think up a way to deal with those… things."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"Can't you just text your brother?"</strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Well yeah but… He has a… Habit."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"Habit?"</strong>
  </span>
</p><p><span class="u">"When he texts, he tends to- know what, I'll just show you."</span> Toya pulled out his phone and opened his text messenger, mentally preparing himself.</p><p>TOYA: Are you free to talk soon?</p><p>TOYA: Some stuff happened with the Kamoshida case…</p><p>KAI: N</p><p>KAI: PLZ TEXT INFO ASAP</p><p>TOYA: It'd be easier to just tell you in person.</p><p>TOYA: I'll tell you when you get home, alright?</p><p>KAI: OK</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"Wait, you can understand that!?"</strong>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"You get used to it after a while."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>"And I thought you were the weird one…"</strong>
  </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Kai canonically texts like Naoto. No, I do not have any regrets regarding this decision.</p><p>In other news, you might have noticed that this chapter is a bit shorter than the rest. I don't have much of an excuse for this. The new Terraria update dropped yesterday, and I spent most of the day playing it with friends, so I didn't find much time to write. As I'm typing this, it's about 6 AM, and I told my girlfriend I'd sleep at a reasonable hour. So if I never post again, she probably killed me.</p><p>Joking aside, there's once again only one question to answer this time:</p><p>"Speaking of Persona, is Toya's Persona still going to be Diabolos? From what we've seen, it felt a lot more lighthearted than the original version, and with the name 'Osiris' Toya given to him, I'm not that sure."</p><p>I don't wanna give away too many details about Toya's Persona yet. He'll get one soon, don't worry. But, until then, I wanna refrain from actually saying much about it.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Uninvolved</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry about being late. I've been a bit busy recently. I'm not going to promise chapters every other day because I know it's not actually possible for me. You'll always get multiple chapters for week (unless something really crazy happens), so don't worry about this story going on a long hiatus or anything.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>April 13th, 20XX (Wednesday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Evening - Kazero Household</strong>
</p><p>"<span class="u">What a day…</span>" Toya quickly got to his room once he got home, laying down. "<span class="u">My body feels so weak… I don't think I've ever been this tired before.</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>Perhaps it has to do with the other world?</strong></span>"</p><p>"<span class="u">Yeah… That makes sense.</span>" Toya groaned, his body aching and his eyelids heavy. He took a hold of his phone, pulling it above his face.</p><p>TOYA: You gonna be home soon?</p><p>KAI: N</p><p>KAI: 2 MUCH WORK</p><p>KAI: CAN U TALK?</p><p>TOYA: Yeah, sure.</p><p>Without another word, Toya had already received a call from Kai. "You're quick." He said, answering his phone and putting it to his ear."</p><p>"Sorry. I don't really have much time, so I didn't wanna wait. Anyways- what do you have?"</p><p>"I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I got someone to confess. Kamoshida is physically abusing the volleyball team."</p><p>"Really? That's great! Do you have it recorded? If you don't, then you can just ask him to repeat it tomorrow and-"</p><p>"Like I said, there's bad news."</p><p>"Bad news? What do you mean?"</p><p>"He… already tried calling the cops."</p><p>"What…? What do you mean, he already tried?"</p><p>"He alerted the cops. He even alerted the school principal, and the parents all know about it too. But… nothing's being done about it, even still."</p><p>"...So it <em>is</em> like that. I kind of had a feeling, if I'm being honest."</p><p>"You knew…? Why didn't you say anything?"</p><p>"I was hoping it wouldn't be true. I was trying to have faith in the system, and the people that run it. But…" Toya heard a deep sigh. "...I'm sorry."</p><p>"What can we do then? We have to do <em>something</em>! I mean… Are we really just going to let Kamoshida get away with this!?"</p><p>"There's nothing we <em>can</em> do, Toya. Anything we did on our own would be vigilante justice at that point."</p><p>"But…!"</p><p>"But nothing. There's nothing we can do about it… End of story. I'm sorry." Without another word, Kai hung up the phone.</p><p>"<span class="u">Damn it! He's just gonna give up like that!?</span>"</p><p>"<span class="u"><strong>If there's nothing he can do… Then we have no choice.</strong></span>"</p><p><span class="u">"No choice…?</span>"</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>If the police aren't going to do anything, then we'll need to find out how to stop Kamoshida ourselves.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Whoa, what!? There's no way we can get personally involved like that! That'll just…"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Do you really not want to? You value your own sense of justice, do you not?</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Well yeah, but…"</span> Toya stammered. "<span class="u">I-It's wrong! There's no way of knowing what kind of consequences will come with doing something like that!"</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Well, fine. But at least consider what I said. If the police aren't going to help, then </strong><em><strong>someone </strong></em><strong>has to do </strong><em><strong>something</strong></em><strong>.</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Yeah… Yeah, I hear you."</span> Toya closed his eyes, rolling over to his side.</p><p><span class="u">"<strong>Anyways… What's the plan for tomorrow? Do you plan on going back to that world?</strong>"</span> No response. Osiris waited for a few seconds, but Toya didn't so much as acknowledge what he was saying. <span class="u">"<strong>...Jester?</strong>"</span></p><p>"Zzz…" The sound of a gentle snore filled the room.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>...Really? Completely asleep </strong><em><strong>that </strong></em><strong>fast? You amaze me in the worst possible ways.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <strong>April 14th, 20XX (Thursday) </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Early Morning - Kazero Household</strong>
</p><p><span class="u">"Ugh…"</span> Toya slowly sat up, holding on to his forehead and grunting. <span class="u">"I'm still exhausted… I was completely knocked out, and I still feel like I need more sleep…"</span> Toya got out of bed, stretching his arms and yawning. <span class="u">"Hey, how long was I out for?"</span> He asked, walking towards the bathroom. <span class="u">"...Osiris? You in there?"</span> Upon entering the bathroom, Toya immediately turned on the sink and started splashing water on his face. <span class="u">"Well… I guess condescending voices need their sleep too."</span> He stopped the water, looking at his reflection in the mirror.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<em><strong>Will you truly be satisfied with not involving yourself?</strong></em>"</span>
</p><p>"Huh!?" Toya heard a loud voice in his head. And when he did, he saw his eyes flash bright yellow. He jumped, falling down on his back. "W-What was…!?" It wasn't Osiris. It was someone else… some<em>thing</em> else.</p><p><span class="u">"<strong>Oh, you're finally awake?</strong>"</span> A different, more familiar voice played in Toya's head. <span class="u">"<strong>I apologize for not saying something sooner. I was lost in thought.</strong>"</span></p><p><span class="u">"Uhh… Y-Yeah, it's fine…"</span> He could feel the sweat dripping down his forehead. He got back up and stared at the mirror for a second. It looked… normal now. His eyes were their usual purple color, and the unusual voice in his head was gone now.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>...Did something happen? You seem uneasy…</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"N-Nah, I'm pretty sure I'm just fatigued… My mind is playing tricks on me or somethin'."</span> Toya took a deep breath and turned away from the mirror. <span class="u">"Anyways… You said you were lost in thought. What were you thinking about?"</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>The other world. Specifically, I was thinking about how it could possibly relate to Kamoshida in any way.</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"I was thinking about that last night too, but I was way too tired to actually think about it much. Honestly, I have a lot of questions about that entire ordeal…"</span> He took out his phone, checking the time. <span class="u">"Well… Let's think about it later. I still need to take a shower and get to school on time. After that… We'll try to figure something out, I guess."</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Right. I suppose we'll need more time to think about it than what we currently have.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <strong>April 14th, 20XX (Thursday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Daytime - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p><span class="u">"Finally here…"</span> Toya took a seat at his desk, closing his eyes and putting his hands in his pockets. <span class="u">"We've got some time to kill. Wanna talk about-"</span></p><p>"Do you have a second?"</p><p>"Huh?" Someone snapped Toya out of the trance he was getting into by talking with Osiris. He lifted his head up, only to see the other transfer student standing next to his desk, facing him. "Oh… Amamiya, right? What's up?"</p><p>"Can we talk after school?"</p><p>"You wanna talk after school…? Uh, sure. Is there somewhere you wanna meet?"</p><p>"Just follow me when classes are over. It's on school grounds."</p><p>"Alright, sure. Just remind me when the bell rings." Ren nodded, turning away from Toya and taking a seat.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>That was sudden.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Tell me about it. What could he possibly want with me?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Perhaps he knows you slipped into the other world?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Imagine that. Well, if he does, then maybe he'll tell me the things we wanna know about it. But for some reason... I doubt that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Let's wait until then to consider what we should do.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Yeah, for sure."</span>
</p><p>
  <strong>April 14th, 20XX (Thursday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p><span class="u">"Here goes nothing."</span> Toya put his hands in his pockets, following Ren through the school. The two of them were outside by some vending machines, when Toya noticed a familiar face. The blonde haired boy that he had seen hanging out with Ren for the past week was there.</p><p>"Oh, sweet! You actually got him!" He said, raising his fist to the sky in excitement.</p><p>"Got me…? Uh, what's this about?" Toya asked, tilting his head and looking at the two of them.</p><p>"We just gotta ask some questions. It'll be quick, I swear."</p><p>"Sure…" Toya leaned against the wall, looking at the two of them stand together.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>I'm starting to doubt that this is going to be helpful.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>"So, what's up? What do you wanna know?"</p><p>"You've been talkin' to Mishima, right? About Kamoshida n' shit like that."</p><p>"Over the past couple days… Yeah. How do you know about that?"</p><p>"We tried talkin' to him after school yesterday… But he wouldn't tell us anything. He just said he'd tell us the same thing he told you, and ran off."</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>I'm starting to get the feeling that these two aren't going to be useful in the slightest.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>"He said that your brother worked for the police. Does that mean you have influence over this?" Ren asked, standing next to his blonde friend.</p><p>"...Sorry, but that's not possible."</p><p>"What!? What do you mean it's not possible!?" The blonde one seemed outraged all of a sudden. Toya could hear the hatred in his heart… all directed towards Kamoshida, no doubt.</p><p>"He's a detective. His main job is to gather intel about people and bring it to the police. After that, everything is their responsibility. The problem is that the police are already aware of everything Kamoshida is doing. My brother's job… It was done before he even got a chance to do it. But the police aren't doing anything about it… That's on them. There's nothing that I, nor my brother, could possibly do about it now."</p><p>"You gotta be jokin'..." He looked down with a long frown on his face.</p><p>"I'm sorry. I want to do something about it… But I have no power in this situation. What can a high school student do about a PE teacher abusing other kids?"</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>This proved to be fruitless.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Tell me about it… And here I thought they would have something interesting."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You should try to get out of here soon. Don't we have better things to do?</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Yeah… Probably."</span> Toya sighed and stretched his arms, before hearing something. It almost sounded like a cat meowing.</p><p>"...You say something?" The blonde one asked, looking at Ren, and then at Toya.</p><p>"No, I didn't say-" Just then, a black cat jumped onto the table in front of them, meowing once again. "A cat…?"</p><p>"That voice… Is that you, Morgana!?"</p><p>"Morgana…? Wait, is that cat one of yours? Are you even allowed to have it on school grounds?"</p><p>"Please don't tell anyone." Ren asked, staring right at Toya. It was still hard to see behind the fake glasses, but he could feel how calm his eyes were. It was like his personality was one giant poker face, for lack of better terms.</p><p>"Yeah, sure. Just be careful with it, alright? There are enough rumors about you to begin with." Toya closed his eyes and took his phone out. "And for the record… Well, I don't think you're some crazy psychopath. But the fake glasses are a little suspicious." Toya turned around, starting to walk away from them. "Take care, you two. Name's Toya, by the way." He waved and glanced at Ren one last time before leaving. As he was walking away, he heard the blonde's voice once again.</p><p>"Wait, you came to our world!?" He let out a nearly comical gasp. "Does that mean you've got a phone!?"</p><p><span class="u">"...He's not talking to the cat, right?</span>"</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>He said 'our world'. If he is talking to the cat, perhaps it's due to something involving that other world?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Yeah, that's probably right. Ugh… This just gets weirder every day. I should have known this year would be weird as hell."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>No point in complaining about it now. Let's jut head home for the day and think things over. Maybe we'll be able to figure something out.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Sounds good."</span>
</p><p>
  <strong>April 14th, 20XX (Thursday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Evening - Leblanc</strong>
</p><p>All the way back in Yongen-Jaya, Ren got back home after having a long day out. Between finding a talking cat, talking to a girl he had never really spoken to about the problems that plagued her mind, and learning things about the Metaverse… He was mentally drained. Despite that, he heard a vibration from his phone.</p><p>RYUJI: So, whaddya think about what Morgana told us?</p><p>RYUJI: I dunno if I get all that stuff about stealing desires…</p><p>RYUJI: And Kamoshida's gonna turn like, brain dead if we mess up, right?</p><p>RYUJI: I mean, sure I'm pissed at him…</p><p>RYUJI: But I dunno if I really wanna kill the guy…</p><p>REN: Yeah, that's too much.</p><p>RYUJI: For sure.</p><p>RYUJI: I mean, maybe I'm just freaking out, but I don't wanna end up a murderer cause of this shit.</p><p>RYUJI: Oh well…</p><p>REN: I'm still taken aback by what we heard from the transfer student.</p><p>RYUJI: Oh yeah… What was his name again?</p><p>REN: Toya, I think.</p><p>RYUJI: His brother works for the police and he can't get anything done either?</p><p>RYUJI: Damn it! This system's so effed up!</p><p>REN: That's what makes me want to use the other world.</p><p>RYUJI: Yeah, I hear you…</p><p>RYUJI: I guess I'm just scared.</p><p>RYUJI: I'll try and see if I can come up with some other way tonight. Later.</p><p>Ren put his phone down and took a seat on his bed. Stealing Kamoshida's distorted desires was one hell of a feat. It intimidated him, but it intrigued him at the same time. Along with the strange dreams he'd been having the past week about a 'velvet room', it felt like the distorted world of the Metaverse was calling his name. He couldn't process it fully. Maybe it was because he was tired- at least, that's what he told himself. He changed out of his uniform and laid in bed, closing his eyes while thinking about the entire ordeal.</p><p>
  <strong>April 15th, 20XX (Friday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Morning - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p>"So, I assume all of you know about the separations of powers? There are three branches in our government. The National Diet is legislative, the Cabinet is executive, and the Supreme Court is judiciary. This division of power provides checks and balances, which ensures no one branch becomes unstoppable."</p><p><span class="u">"We learned about this stuff years ago… Why's he going over the basics of our government?"</span> Toya put his elbow on his desk and rested his cheek against his palm, resisting the urge to close his eyes.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>The once diligent student, nearly falling asleep in morning classes? Oh, how the mighty have fallen.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Oh, shut it! It's not my fault he's going over stuff we learned years ago!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Pay attention. Not to the class, but to what's happening at the desk right in front of you.</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"The desk in front of me? You mean-"</span> Sure enough, he took a look at Ren's desk and saw the cat from yesterday poking his head out.</p><p>"Don't talk." Ren whispered as quiet as he could. The teacher thought he heard something, but he quickly went back to the lecture he had been trying to give.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Can he <em>actually </em>hear the cat talk…? Like, real words?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>It appears that way. Surely it's connected to the other world in some way.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Yeah… Maybe we should go check it out later today. We're not getting anywhere by just thinking about it."</span>
</p><p>"Hey… What's that…!?" A student on the other side of the room got out of his seat and looked out the window.</p><p>"Enough! This is a classroom!"</p><p>"Wait… She's going to jump!"</p><p>"Suzui…?"</p><p>"Shiho…?" The entire classroom was alert all of a sudden. Most notably for Toya's concerns was Mishima, who had seemingly recognized the girl in question.</p><p>"Hey! Stay in your seats! Do not step foot outside of this room!" The teacher tried to stop them, but nobody even tried to listen. This included both Toya and Ren, who ran out of the room to try and see what the commotion was really about.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>What's going on? What's this about someone jumping?</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"If it's what I think it is…"</span> Toya quickly got up to a window and looked out of it, searching the area until seeing someone all the way up on the rooftop. She had an empty look on her face… Not empty as in emotion, but rather life. The way her arms were limp against her sides, the way her hair covered most of her face… and the way that she just fell forward, diving right off of the school rooftop. Time slowed down as the girl slowly fell down, with Toya being unable to tear his eyes away from the scene. He wanted to. He wanted to look away and run. He wanted to act like he wasn't about to see this. But he couldn't. He knew that he couldn't do that. He had to watch in absolute horror as the girl slowly fell through the air, until her body reached ground level. She bounced off of the ground upon hitting it, getting sprung up ever so slightly into the air. The impact of the fall… the worst part is that it didn't even look like it was enough to kill her, nor even knock her unconscious. Instead, she just had to lay there… in brutal, agonizing pain. <span class="u">"I'm… I-I'm just seeing things, right? There's no way that I just saw someone…!"</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Snap out of it! We need to move!</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"What the hell do you mean!? We just saw someone try to kill themselves! Where the hell could we POSSIBLY go!?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Didn't you hear? Mishima said her name! He was one of the first people out of the room, for crying out loud! By now he's probably halfway to the courtyard! We need to get there too and figure out why the hell she did that!</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Y-You think… This is related to Kamoshida!?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You're not gonna figure that out by just standing here! Get a move on and get the hell to the courtyard already!</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"R-Right! I'm going!"</span> Osiris was somehow able to motivate him into hurrying on over to the courtyard. Toya was still scared, but he had to push the fear aside, even if for just a second he needed to keep moving and get some answers. As he ran, he saw Ren just ahead of him, with his friend by his side. They were interested in figuring this out too… This made him think that it was even more likely that it could somehow be related to Kamoshida. As for how… He didn't have a clue. The only way he could learn the answer to that was by getting outside, which he did as quickly as he possibly could.</p><p>Once he got outside, he found himself in the middle of a massive crowd. Everyone was trying to figure out what was happening- including Ren, and another student that he recognized from his class. She sat two seats in front of him… Toya even remembered her saying something to him. He couldn't remember her name at all though.</p><p>"Shiho… Why?" The girl got on her knees and tried talking to the girl who had just jumped.</p><p>"Ann…? I'm sorry. I… I can't take this… anymore…" Her voice was weak. She seemed more sad than in pain, to his surprise.</p><p>"Shiho?" She leaned in to listen to the girl whisper something. "...Huh? ...Kamoshida!?"</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Did you hear that!?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Kamoshida… So he </strong><em><strong>is </strong></em><strong>related to this! But… What could he have </strong><em><strong>possibly </strong></em><strong>done that would lead into something like this!?</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"I don't know, but I think I know who does…"</span> Toya turned around and saw Mishima start running into the building. Soon after, he saw Ren and his friend run after him. "We need to follow them. Let's figure out anything that we can!" Without another thought, Toya ran after the group of them. He made sure to keep a safe distance between them. He didn't want to get seen, after all. As much as he needed intel, he needed to avoid being seen even more. He saw them follow him into a locker room, then waited about 30 seconds before pressing up against the door and listening in on the conversation.</p><p>"I was called by him a number of times too… to the teacher's room. It wasn't just me or Suzui either. He'd nominate someone when he was in a bad mood… and hit them. "</p><p>"So the physical punishment thing was for real…"</p><p>"But yesterday, he called Suzui out of the blue. She didn't make any mistake or anything… Mr. Kamoshida seemed really irritated that day, so it must've been… worse than usual…"</p><p>"Worse than usual…? Wait, don't tell me he…!"</p><p>"That son of a bitch!" Upon hearing the sound of someone in the room running, Toya quickly backed away and got into a corner, watching the blonde one run out of the room and into the hallway, with Ren and Mishima following close behind.</p><p>"I bet… Sakamoto's going to find Mr. Kamoshida…"</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>That hot-headed idiot! What's he think he's going to accomplish like that?!</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"He's not thinking it through… He's just going there out of anger. Damn it, this'll never end well!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>What are you going to do? Are you going to follow them?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"I have to! I can't let Kamoshida see me, so I can't go into the room with them… But I'm gonna listen to whatever I can. I'll record the conversation too, just in case!"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"<strong>Good. Now go! Before you lose them!</strong>"</span> Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ren and Mishima run up the stairs. He followed them upstairs at a moderate pace, trying to be as quiet and fast as possible. It was a hard balance to maintain, so he ended up considerably behind them. Once he got upstairs, he saw the two of them enter a room, presumably with Kamoshida in it. To avoid being heard, Toya started moving much slower, practically tip-toeing his way to the other side of the long, narrow hallway. He took his phone out and started recording, getting next to the door and leaning against it to hear everything being said.</p><p>"You… You ordered me to call Suzui here… I can only imagine what you did to her…!" Mishima's distraught voice was clearly audible.</p><p>"You're going on and on about things you have no proof of…" Kamoshida's voice, however, was different. He just sounded angry. It was a different tone of voice than Toya had ever heard out of him before… It was entirely out of character for him. Or atleast, the character that he had let everyone else see. In reality, it seemed quite obvious that there was something entirely different about him… That much was obvious at this point. "Even if it is exactly as you imagine it to be, hypothetically speaking… What can you do?"</p><p>
  <span class="u">"He's not even denying it anymore!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>We were right the entire time. Kamoshida is completely guilty of everything he's being accused of!</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"But… What can we even do about it? Is this going to change how the police feel about him?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>We can only hope for that to be the case. Come on, keep listening!</strong>"</span>
</p><p>"Everyone present right now will be expelled. I'm reporting all of you at the next board meeting."</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Expelled…</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Ren is done for if he gets expelled! Kamoshida can't just do that to him!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>It doesn't sound like he's bluffing. We've heard all that we need to hear at this point. Let's get going before Kamoshida notices you and includes you in on that deal as well.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Damn it… Yeah, let's get out of here! We'll figure out what we can do about him later!"</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>To be honest, I wanted to make this chapter longer. The problem is that if I included the next segment, it probably would have gotten to upwards of 5K words, which is a little too much for me to justify right now.</p><p>In other news, FFN reviews are buggy as hell right now. I can see that I'm getting reviews, but it's hard for me to actually read them because they're not showing up on the website. This has happened multiple times before, so it's not like I've never experienced it before. I can still answer some questions, thankfully.</p><p>"Will Toya, until he awakens his Persona, be using "cognitive weapons," for lack of a better term? And will he be joining the Phantom Thieves earlier than he did in the original story?"</p><p>First of all, I'm not going to answer if he's going to join the Phantom Thieves earlier or not. I can absolute assure you that it won't be anytime soon, but I won't promise if it'll be earlier than it was in the original. As for the second question about cognitive weapons: Who said he's going to stop once he's got his own Persona? If you read the original, you probably remember that Toya was the kind of person who tried using the environment to his advantage. Cognitive weapons are a part of the environment, so him using those to attack is entierly in the realm of possibility.</p><p>"It's definitely more focused around your OC than the last time."</p><p>I know it appears that way at first. To be honest, I just wanted to dedicate these first few chapters to him, so that people can start to really get a feel for his character. But I think that I've done that enough, so we're probably going to start getting more segments of other people's perspectives, like we had earlier in this chapter with Ren at Leblanc. Of course, there's going to be more than just things like that, but you get the point I'm trying to make.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Infiltrator</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I've made it clear enough at this point that underlined text is always happening within someone's (usually Toya's) head, right? I hope so, otherwise it gets kinda confusing to read the later half of this chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>April 15th, 20XX (Friday)</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>After School - Friday</strong>
</p>
<p>Toya aimlessly paced around the school for a few minutes. He was lost- not physically, but mentally. There were so many things going on around him that he didn't really know how to process things, or what he could possibly do. He knew that he had to do <em>something</em>, but nothing he thought of made perfect sense. For every one solution he came up with, he also came up with two or more things that would go wrong as a result. As a result, he found himself making a full lap around the entire school, mindlessly walking without a sense of direction.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>There's such a thing as working your head too hard, you know.</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"Yeah, I know…"</span> Toya finally stopped. He walked into an empty alleyway, pressing his foot against the wall and hanging his head down. <span class="u">"It's just… I feel so useless. I just had to sit there and watch all of that happen, and there was nothing I could do about it. It just feels like… Like I'm letting dad down, you know?"</span></p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Would he want you to beat yourself up over the fact that you're lost?</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"No… But he wouldn't be exactly happy to see it, either. I wonder what he'd say right about now… Probably something corny."</span> Toya softly chuckled under his breath, turning his head and beginning to walk away. "<span class="u">We should probably just go home for the day. We have some time before Kamoshida does something anywa-"</span> Before he could finish that thought, he felt something on his back. The weight of something came crashing down, knocking him to the floor.</p>
<p>"Ugh… Those jerks!" He heard a feminine voice call out from above him.</p>
<p>"What… the hell…?"</p>
<p>"Ah! I'm sorry!" The weight on his back was suddenly lifted, allowing Toya to get back up on his feet. Once he was up, he looked to the girl whose voice he heard. To his surprise, it was actually the girl he saw earlier in the courtyard. The one who ran to the girl that jumped off of the school rooftop. She was even in his class, but the two of them never actually spoke, nor did Toya know what her name was.</p>
<p>"How did you… Where did you even come from?" Toya asked, still in a state of shock.</p>
<p>"O-Oh, I was just uh… Running! I-I've been eating way too many sweets recently, so I had to burn some of the calories! Haha… ha…"</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Even </strong><em><strong>I </strong></em><strong>could do a better job of acting…</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>"Right… Running…" Toya got his bearings and turned away from her. "I'm… I'm just gonna go home now. Try not to bump into anyone else." Toya started walking away, but he moved intentionally slowly.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"Running… That's a complete lie. I would have heard her coming if she was just running."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>It was like she fell out of the sky or something. But that doesn't make sense either.</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"Yeah. It was like she just came out of… nowhere…"</span> Toya stopped in place and started piecing something together in his mind. <span class="u">"Wait, do you think she came from that other world!?"</span></p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>And she accidentally fell out of it like you did, which is why she bumped into you… That could absolutely be true.</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"So she has the app too…? How the hell did she get it!?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>That doesn't matter now. There's one more thing that doesn't make sense about this.</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"There's a <em>lot </em>that doesn't make sense about this, but go on."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>With the way she fell on top of you, there's only 2 logical explanations. Either she accidentally fell out like you did, or she was pushed out. Either way, it's safe to say one thing.</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"She wasn't in there alone… If she just fell out, then she didn't know what she was doing because it was her first time there! That must mean someone's in there to accidentally drag her in!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Exactly. And the only people we know that are able to go there are Ren and the other boy. His name was Sakamoto, was it not?</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"If they went in right after what happened today, then that world HAS to be connected to Kamoshida! Does that mean they can do something to him there!?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>It's worth investigating. We should go now before they leave. We'll be able to figure out more if we watch them.</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"Yeah, let's go!"</span> Toya turned around and ran back to the alleyway. As he expected, the girl from earlier was gone. Without a moment of hesitation, he quickly pulled out his phone and opened the Metaverse Navigator, closing his eyes and slipping out of the real world.</p>
<p>
  <strong>April 15th, 20XX (Friday)</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>After School - Kamoshida's Castle (Castle Gate)</strong>
</p>
<p>The headache didn't hurt nearly as much as it did the first time he entered the world. He was slowly getting used to it… though, he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Regardless of that, he was still a bit nervous. The things he saw last time weren't normal by any stretch of the imagination. He needed to be careful, in case he saw any more of the monsters that he encountered last time.</p>
<p>"H-Hey, get off! I'm not a princess!" He heard a familiar voice cry out. He looked ahead and saw a girl getting carried into the castle- but not just any girl. It was the same girl he had just encountered- the one he speculated had methods of entering the world.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"What the hell… They're not attacking her, but they're capturing her!?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Does she hold some kind of important to this world?</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"Doesn't matter! From what we've heard, it doesn't sound like she wants to be dragged away! We've gotta go after her!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>And charge through the front door? That's suicide!</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"Then…"</span> Toya grit his teeth and ran forward a bit, looking around the castle. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something. There was an air vent in the wall, and it was wide open. <span class="u">"We'll just crawl through that!"</span></p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You're a hell of a lot riskier when you're focused on protecting someone else, aren't you?</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"Save the sass for later, Osiris!"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"<strong>Very well. Go on. It's surely a better idea than the front door, after all.</strong>"</span> Toya ran towards the vent and paused.</p>
<p><span class="u">"...Before I go in…"</span> He opened his school bag and reached deep inside of it.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>What are you looking for?</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"Come on, I know I brought it… Oh, there it is!"</span> He gripped something and yanked it out of his bag.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>A bandana?</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"This was a gift from my father. I never understood why he wanted me to have it, but he insisted that I should keep it."</span> He lifted the bandana up and tied it around his head, letting it cover a large majority of his face. <span class="u">"It feels right if I wear it now. It makes me feel like he's… Here, in a way. Watching over me."</span></p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>I'm sure he is. Come on. Let's make him proud.</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"Yeah! Let's go!"</span> Toya reached up for the ventilation shaft, pulling himself up and slipping inside of it. It was a tight fit, but he was able to start moving. He started slowly crawling through the shaft, doing his best to not make noise.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Sneaking through a ventilation shaft like this… What are we, bandits? You're even wearing a bandana.</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"I'd much rather be a bandit than a jester, that's for sure."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>I suppose you're a bit of both.</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"A jesterly bandit... It sounds really dumb, but I kinda like it."</span>
</p>
<p>"<strong>You really are strange...</strong>"</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>April 15th, 20XX (Friday)</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>After School - Central Hall </strong>
</p>
<p>Reaching the end of the vent, Toya was finally inside of the castle for the first time. The atmosphere of the place made it feel very old, and the aesthetics of the castle didn't change that either. It was like the castle had been around for years, hiding under everyone's noses.</p>
<p><span class="u">"Place is kinda creepy…"</span> He walked forward, through the door that was already opened. To his right, he saw the main hall, along with dozens of different knights. Not wanting to take the risk, he backed away and opted for the door to the left of the way he came instead. Upon opening the door, he found a knight turned away from him. He quickly backed away, but not before the knight noticed something was wrong. <span class="u">"Crap! He totally saw me!"</span></p>
<p><span class="u">"<strong>The vase! Use it!</strong>"</span> He turned his head and saw a porcelain vase. He picked it up and waited for a moment, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.</p>
<p><span class="u">"Three… Two…"</span> He gripped the vase tighter and opened his eyes, a burning determination visible in his pupils. <span class="u">"One!"</span> He turned the corner and was met with the knight who wasn't expecting him to charge forward with such ferocity. Without hesitation, Toya bashed the vase against the knight's head, knocking it back, but not enough for it to drop its weapon.</p>
<p><span class="u">"<strong>Strike! Before it can retaliate!</strong>"</span> He grit his teeth behind the purple bandana, charging forward and using his shoulder to bash against the knight while it was in a daze. While colliding directly against the knight's armor definitely hurt Toya, it also pushed the knight off of his feet and caused him to drop his sword and his shield.</p>
<p>"You're mine!" Toya took hold of the sword and stabbed straight through the knight's helmet, just as he had done last time. And again, just like last time, the knight faded away into black mist. He had won. Against the odds, he was able to overcome the knight that was infinitely more equipped than he was, just like last time. And on top of that, the knight's sword didn't fade along with him. He wasn't physically capable of carrying both the large sword and shield, but he could at least take one with him.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>There. Now you've got a weapon to use for the rest of your time here.</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"Yeah, but…</span>" Toya tried holding on to the sword with just one hand, but he found it to be way too heavy for him to practically do that.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Is a sword not your style?</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"Nah. It's way too heavy. I'd much prefer something light… Maybe something with a bit of range to it too."</span> Clasping his other hand around the handle of the sword, Toya took slow steps forward, trying not to make any more noise than he already did. <span class="u">"Well, beggars can't be choosers. I'll manage with this for now…"</span> He slowly moved forward, pressing his ear against the other door in the room.</p>
<p>"Is this some kind of filming!? Who's in charge here!?" There she was. The girl was still in the castle, and still being carried away by the knights. She was still close by, but she was getting further away by the moment. Without waiting a moment longer, Toya pushed the door open with his shoulder, keeping both hands on the handle of his sword just in case something happened.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>April 15th, 20XX (Friday)</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>After School - Kamoshida's Castle (West Building 1F)</strong>
</p>
<p>"She totally doesn't get what's going on…"</p>
<p>"Let's hurry! We have to save her!" Toya heard two voices from just ahead. One of them was Sakamoto, who he already knew had access to this world. The other voice though… It was new.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>So they have more friends that can get in…</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"Yeah, but who? They only hang out with each other…"</span> Toya pondered for a moment before moving forward. He turned a corner and saw a long hallway with a fallen knight statue on the side and a tall door at the end. He gripped the sword tighter and took a deep breath, slowly stepping forward and pushing the door open, peeking his head inside. At the end of the room, he saw the girl that he followed into the castle. She was strapped to the wall, desperately trying to struggle out.</p>
<p>"Takamaki!" Sakamoto yelled out, running forward alongside Ren. There were two things Toya noticed right away. One, Sakamoto's outfit was… Different. Similar to how Ren's outfit was much different than his school attire, Sakamoto's was as well. However, the other thing that he noticed was a small creature standing next to them. It looked like a cat from the back, and didn't seem hostile towards the two at all.</p>
<p><span class="u">"Hold on… Don't tell me that's what I think it is."</span> He stared at the cat-like figure next to them, and then remembered the cat that approached them the other day. The one that Sakamoto seemed to recognize, and that Ren asked him not to speak of.</p>
<p>"<strong>Just when I was about to start enjoying myself…" </strong>Upon hearing a distorted voice, Toya looked ahead of the two of them and saw something else- something that confused him even more. Standing in a robe with a crown on his head… Kamoshida. And right next to him was… Another version of the girl, Takamaki. At least, that's what she <em>looked</em> like, but that didn't make any sense either.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"Okay, what the hell is going on!? Why are there two Why is <em>he </em>here!?"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"<strong>Are you sure that's him? Look closer.</strong>"</span> Upon further inspection, Toya noticed something different about Kamoshida. His eyes… They were golden. An odd shade of gold, making him look like some kind of otherworldly deity.</p>
<p>"What's the deal with this guy!?" Takamaki seemed just as confused as Toya was. Things didn't make any sense to him at all. The more Toya tried to justify what he was seeing, the more confusing it got. He looked further around and saw a painting of Kamoshida plastered on the wall, and all of these various different patterns of symbolism. He knew this castle was weird- this entire world, even. But it just continued to get worse. It got progressively crazier and crazier.</p>
<p>"<strong>I bet you're just like those thieves. You came because you're pissed at me, huh? But, ah… I forget that chick's name, but it's your fault she jumped, you know." </strong></p>
<p>"Huh…?"</p>
<p>"<strong>You were so reluctant to throw yourself onto me that I had her take your place." </strong>Kamoshida's voice and posture… He was so smug. He seemed genuinely proud of himself- like it was some kind of accomplishment for him.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"What… What the hell is this…!? Everything about this is wrong on so many levels!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Real or not… This just twists the image of Kamoshida even further than before. He's scum, through and through.</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>"Is this… my punishment for what happened to Shiho?"</p>
<p>"<strong>That's more like it. You should've looked like this from the start."</strong></p>
<p>"Shiho… I'm so sorry…"</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>...Even when things are looking this bad, she's blaming herself? But… why?</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"She shouldn't be! It makes zero sense for her to think like that! She can't be-"</span>
</p>
<p>"You're just going to listen?" A calm, collective voice broke Toya's concentration completely. He recognized the voice as Ren's. He didn't speak many words, but they were all precise and to the point. He wasted no time at all.</p>
<p>"...You're right. Letting this piece of shit toy with me..." She chuckled. "What was I thinking!?"</p>
<p>"<strong>It's like I always say. Slaves should just behave and-"</strong></p>
<p>"..Shut up! I've had enough of this… You've pissed me off, you son of a bitch!" Her entire attitude shifted. It was like she was an entirely different person all of a sudden. Reborn as someone willing to rebel against what was being thrusted on to her. She was suddenly fighting… And it awoke something inside of her. Her eyes flashed a bright gold- the same way Kamoshida's did, as she started struggling in her restraints, crying and grunting in pain before suddenly hanging her head.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"Wait, what's happening…?"</span>
</p>
<p>"I hear you… Carmen." She picked her head back up as a blue flame ignited around her face. And as it did, a red mask was suddenly formed. "You're right. No more holding back!" She continued struggling, and was somehow able to break the restraints on her arms.</p>
<p><span class="u">"T-That's LITERALLY steel! She's breaking through those with her wrists! That doesn't even SOUND humanly possible! Just what the hell is going on here!?"</span> Once her restraints were off, before Toya could properly react, she ripped off the mask on her face and erupted into a blue flare. Toya had to grip onto the door and drop the sword he had been holding to not get blown away by the sheer amount of pressure that was being exuded from her very aura. But once the pressure cleared and Toya could actually look forward again… Something was off. There, standing behind Takamaki, was… something. A demon? Not only that, but now, even her attire was different. She was wearing skin-tight red latex with zippers all over it. With a fiery look in her eyes, she quickly turned to her side and looked at the knight standing on the side of the room. She ran towards him and kicked his sword into the air completely effortlessly. The sword twirled around in the air for a moment before she jumped up and caught it, coming down and slashing the copy of her. The copy let out a scream before fading away into a black mist, much like the knights that he had dealt with during his time here.</p>
<p>"You know what? I'm not some cheap girl you can toy with.. you scumbag."</p>
<p>"<strong>Bitch…!"</strong></p>
<p>"You stole everything from Shiho… You destroyed her… Now it's your turn!" She pointed at Kamoshida, the fiery look in her eyes burning even fiercer than it previously did. "I will rob you of <em>everything!</em>"</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"And on THAT note, I am getting the HELL out of here!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Wait, what? What do you mean you're getting out?</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"She just effortlessly killed something with a massive sword that I can barely even hold, let alone swing! Not only that, but she summoned a MASSIVE DEMON! I am NOT getting involved with her, or anyone that hangs around her! NEVER happening!"</span> Toya turned tail and started running away, before any attention was drawn towards him.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>I didn't take you for </strong><em><strong>this </strong></em><strong>much of a coward…</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"Take me for someone who prefers living over dying!"</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, let's be real. Who wouldn't be scared if they were in Toya's position? I'd be terrified if I saw someone rip off a mask and summon a demon from their soul. </p>
<p>Things are going to start speeding up pretty soon. I wanna get around to Toya actually taking some kind of initiative rather than just watching everything unfold before him without any form of involvement. Hopefully I can get to that soon, since I imagine it's going to start getting boring to read at some point- if it isn't already. </p>
<p>"Toya seems different this time round. Like, less hostile."</p>
<p>Yeah, he is. I wanted to make Toya feel like a real character- someone with realistic reactions to the unrealistic events unfolding before him. Of course, Maruki was able to help him tremendously with that, as is Osiris. </p>
<p>Another thing I'd like to mention- I genuinely have read every comment/review I've gotten. Granted, I've only gotten one comment on this story over on AO3, but that's not the point of this at all. The point is that I take every kind of response seriously and spend time considering everything people have to say. As a result, if you've ever left any kind of review on either this story or the original story, there is a 99% chance I remember your username. I'm sure this goes for a lot of fanfiction writers out there, but I genuinely appreciate every single bit of support I get. I don't have a huge following or anything, but I kind of like the fact that I can see the same few people show up every time I post something. Makes me feel like I'm doing something right.</p>
<p>Anyways, I'll stop rambling now. See you guys when next chapter drops.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Remembrance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I don't think I've ever gotten as as much feedback as I did last chapter. Wow. </p><p>I'll address everything at the end of this chapter, I promise. But thank you all for showing up and saying anything- it really does mean the world to me. And yes, that does include the general feelings of everyone thinking that Toya's a bit too reactionary at the moment. You'll have to get through this chapter which still has a bit of that, but... Well, I'll explain at the end.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>April 15th, 20XX (Friday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Evening - Kazero Household</strong>
</p><p>Ever since he got home, Toya started pacing around his room aimlessly, playing back the situation he had just experienced in his head.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"There is NO way in hell those guys are human! They're some like… crazy alien race, or something!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You're going to drive yourself mad.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"No, I'M not crazy! THEY'RE crazy! They summoned DEMONS!" Toya gripped his head and closed his eyes, still trying desperately to make sense of it. "You saw it too, didn't you!?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>I did.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>"Then HOW are you so calm about this!? Wait… Y-You're not one of those demons, right!?"</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Jester.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"I mean, what ARE you!? Can I just summon you like that and gain super strength?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Jester…</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Or- Or do you use magic!? Are you some demonic warlock or something?! Can you-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>JESTER.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"WHAT?"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"<strong>Breathe.</strong>"</span> There was a long pause. Nothing but white noise filled the room for a few moments, before Toya let out a loud sigh and collapsed onto bed.</p><p><span class="u">"Sorry…"</span> Toya turned over and stared at the ceiling, spreading his arms and legs out. "<span class="u">But it just… It makes less sense day after day. That entire world, or whatever it is…"</span> He reached into his pocket and took out his bandana, staring at it for a few moments before slowly letting go and letting it fall down onto his chest. <span class="u">"It's out of my league. Whatever it is… There's no way I can help. I can barely swing a sword in there, meanwhile they… They're way more capable. I should just mind my business."</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>What would your father think of that mentality?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"...Come on, don't play that card. That's not fair at all."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You asked me to constantly remind you of the promise if you had ever forgotten. Did you forget?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"No, I didn't forget. But… What would he want me to do?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>First, address the situation. What are the big problems that you cannot deal with at the current moment?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"There are a few. A lot of them can be solved by just not going into that world and forgetting about it, but the big thing is… I just don't know what's going on. What even <em>is </em>that world? What are those monsters? And what are those… demons?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>It's impossible to have the answer to that right now. But we know who has the answers, right?</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Well, <em>they </em>do."</span> Toya thought to the other group of people that went into the world. Ren, Sakamoto, Takamaki, and probably that cat. <span class="u">"But it's not like I can just ask them about it, right? I can't just tell them I know that they go into some other world and sneak into a castle that's apparently owned by Kamoshida. I'll sound like a lunatic."</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Perhaps not. But you can get intel from them.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Intel…? Wait, you want me to spy on them?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>It would be an adequate way to figure out what's really going on with the world, would it not?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Well yeah, but… What happens if they figure out I'm spying on them? Wouldn't I be screwed?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Do you have a better idea? Your only other option would be to wait around until another opportunity presents itself.</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Part of me thinks that might be the better choice...</span>" Toya took hold of the bandana one more time, lifting it back into view. He wondered what his dad would want him to do in a situation like this. Could have ever predicted something like this happening? Definitely not. But he always seemed to just know these kinds of things. What to do, what to say… He was really good at that for some reason.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Thinking about him?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"I'm always thinking about him. It hurts like hell, but I always find myself doing it without even trying."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You said he physically trained you, right? Was there a reason for that?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Yeah, there was. He didn't tell me why for months. Though, I can't really say I blame him for it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You wanna tell me what that was?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Another time… It's way too late to tell you all of the specifics."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>I suppose that's fair. So what can you tell me?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"I guess I can just start from the beginning. It's a pretty long story, though. No way I can get through the entire thing tonight."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>That's fine. We can go at whatever pace you'd like.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Well… It all started last August."</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em> <strong>August 1st, Last Year (Saturday)</strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em> <strong>Early Morning - Home</strong> </em>
</p><p>"<em>Hey! You up yet?" Toya could hear a faint voice calling out to him from closeby. Although he heard it, he tried his best to ignore it. He rubbed his cheek against his pillow and kept his eyes sealed shut, drifting between reality and the world of his dreams. "C'mon, it's time to wake up, buddy! I don't gotta come in there, do I?"</em></p><p>"<em>Nn… N-No, not... yet…" He gently mumbled under his breath, desperate to continue sleeping. But despite his efforts, he heard the sound of his doorknob being turned open. </em></p><p>"<em>Alright. That's enough sleep for you, buddy. Time to get up." He heard his father's voice and felt him gently grab onto his arm, shaking him ever so slightly. </em></p><p>"<em>But it's so early…" Toya slowly flipped onto his back and looked at his father, his eyes still only half-open. "Dad… Is something up…?" </em></p><p>"<em>Wrong? No no, nothing like that. But today is the start of a new chapter of your life!" </em></p><p>"<em>...Can that new chapter start in my dreams…?" </em></p><p>"<em>You really are tired, huh?" Eishi gave him a blank stare, before chuckling, ruffling Toya's hair. "Fine. But just for another hour! I'll be back to make sure you're up by then, got it?" </em></p><p>"<em>..." </em></p><p>"<em>...Toya? Something wrong?" </em></p><p>"<em>...Zzz…" </em></p><p>"<em>How does this kid manage to fall asleep so fast…?" He let out a defeated sigh before standing back up. He looked towards the nightstand next to Toya's bed and saw the small box he had given him, the purple bandana still visible inside. "...I hope we have enough time for this…" Toya could still hear him, but barely. His voice was getting further and further away, as the clutches of his dreams slowly pulled him back. </em></p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>April 15th, 20XX (Friday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Evening - Kazero Household</strong>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>So you were always that heavy of a sleeper?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Really? THAT'S the one thing you take from this?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>The most noteworthy thing, apart from the last thing that your father said.</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"I always wondered what that was about. He always seemed like he was kinda in a rush…</span>" Toya's thoughts trailed off for a moment. <span class="u">"Did he…?"</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>What's wrong?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"...No, nothing. I'm just overthinking things. Anyways, I'll tell you a bit more of what happened now."</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em> <strong>August 1st, Last Year (Saturday)</strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em> <strong>Daytime - Home</strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em>It took a bit more effort than he'd like to admit, but Toya had finally managed to pull himself out of bed. He made his way downstairs, still yawning. He wasn't fully awake yet, but he knew that his father was going to just wake him up again if he stayed in bed any longer. </em>
</p><p>"<em>Oh, you're up!" </em></p><p>"<em>Yeah…" Toya yawned again, closing his eyes and covering his mouth. "...Only half awake. Maybe less." </em></p><p>"<em>How late were you up last night?"</em></p><p>"<em>I don't know. I finished up most of my summer homework, though."</em></p><p>"<em>Already? Sheesh… Most kids don't even start it until the last few days of break."</em></p><p>"<em>I wanted to get it over with early. I don't want it lingering in my mind, you know?" </em></p><p>"<em>Yeah, I hear you. Well, it's a good thing. Now you won't have anything else distracting you!" </em></p><p>"<em>Distracting me? From what?"</em></p><p>"<em>Starting today, I'm gonna get you into top fighting shape! I'm molding you into a champ!" </em></p><p>"<em>Huh? Where's this coming from all of a sudden?" </em></p><p>"<em>Nothin' wrong with some father-son bonding time, right? Besides, look at you! Sure, you're growing tall. But you're all skin and bones!" </em></p><p>"<em>Yeah, but… I'm just a high schooler, Dad. And besides- I've never fought anyone in my life- nor have I wanted to. Isn't this really sudden?"</em></p><p>"<em>Well, maybe a little… B-But that's not important! How else are you gonna defend yourself if you don't know how to fight?" </em></p><p>"<em>Defend myself…? But we live in an area with barely any crime at all… What would I even be protecting myself from?" </em></p><p>"<em>W-Well… B-Bullies! You'll be protecting yourself from bullies, of course! Never know when some snobby brat is gonna come trying to pick a fight with you for being more handsome than him, right?" Eishi started to laugh. He did his best to make his laugh almost obnoxiously loud- most likely to hide how awkward he felt at the conversation. He was hiding something. Toya could tell that right away. The way he was acting… He knew something that he wasn't saying. </em></p><p>"<em>...Alright. But I really don't know the first thing about fighting." </em></p><p>"<em>That's fine, it's what I'm here for! Trust me- you'll be in better shape than you could ever imagine when I'm done with you!" He smirked, raising his fist up. He looked like a wave of relief washed over him. Toya couldn't figure out what exactly was happening, but he was glad to see his father so excited. </em></p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>April 15th, 20XX (Friday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Evening - Kazero Household</strong>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"You know, even now, I wonder to myself sometimes… What drove me to agreeing to that?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>To training with him?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Yeah. I had no interest in it at all, but I barely even pushed against the idea. I was just so… Okay with it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Perhaps because it was for your father?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Yeah, maybe… But even then, doing all of that? It was a lot, especially for someone who had never trained a day in his life. I wasn't overweight or anything, don't get me wrong. But I surely wasn't in fighting form."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>That's changed a bit, hasn't it?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Yeah. I'm not super ripped or anything, but I could probably beat most people my age in a fight."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You haven't been training much recently though, have you?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"I've been meaning to start again. It's just… Between everything with moving, and Kamoshida, and whatever the hell that world is… I haven't really found the time."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Well, then now's the time to change that.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Huh?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You can't really do much in regards to that world compared to the rest of them, right? All you can really do is spy on them. You're bound to have way more free time if you're not actively involving yourself, so why not get back into training?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"You know what? You're right. I need to get back onto it. Maybe that'll clear my mind of this stuff..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>I still think you should spy on them.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Yeah, probably. It's a lower priority for me personally, but I'll see if an opportunity presents itself at the very least."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Good. That should be more than enough then.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Tomorrow, we'll start on this. But for now… I'm exhausted. Time for bed."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Go on. Tomorrow will be a fresh start.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <strong>April 25th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Early Morning - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p>A week and a half went by since that night. Between time spent exercising and doing school work, things were pretty quiet for Toya. He didn't find many opportunities to actually <em>spy</em> on the group of people who could go into the other world, so he instead spent his time on himself. Time spent with Osiris, a couple of conversations with his brother, and a balanced amount of studying. He found ways to do small exercises between other activities as well, which kept him busy enough to actually enjoy life for the first time in a while, without chasing after some mystery. However, that didn't mean he didn't spend any time at all thinking about the mystery of the other world. He was able to pick up bits and pieces of conversations between the three people of interest: Ren Amamiya, Ryuji Sakamoto, and Ann Takamaki. He also heard them say the name 'Morgana' quite a number of times, but he was stumped as to who that actually was.</p><p>"A calling card?"</p><p>"I heard it was already posted by the time everyone got here this morning." Toya heard students murmuring, and then noticed them all huddled up in a corner, staring at a nearby bulletin board. He walked towards it and noticed red cards plastered all over it.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Sir Suguru Kamoshida, the utter bastard of lust…"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>This is gonna be good.</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"We know how shitty you are, and that you put your twisted desires on students that can't fight back. That's why we have decided to steal away those desires and make you confess your sins. This will be done tomorrow, so we hope you will be ready. From, the… Phantom Thieves of Hearts."</span> Toya paused. He blinked twice and rubbed his eyes, taking another look. <span class="u">"...This is a real thing. I just read that. At a school, no less. Who even wrote this?"</span></p><p><span class="u">"<strong>I wouldn't be too surprised if it has to do with the conversation happening just behind you.</strong>"</span> Toya turned his head, and sure enough… He saw Ren, Ryuji, and Ann. They were all standing together, with a smug grin on Ryuji's face.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"So it was totally Ryuji."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Definitely. I doubt the other two are anywhere near that… Stupid. I mean, the 'utter bastard of lust'?</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Yeah. I don't think it'll take long for anyone to figure out who did this. Especially..."</span> Toya turned his head and saw an angry Kamoshida stomping towards the scene. <span class="u">"Speak of the devil…"</span></p><p>"Who's responsible for this!?" Toya immediately turned around and started walking away. As he was passing by the group of three, he glanced at Ren. Before Ren noticed, Toya passed by without speaking a word.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>They're going to try something, aren't they?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Yeah. We need to go after them today. It has to have something to do with that world."</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"<strong>Agreed. Let's go there immediately after school.</strong>"</span> Toya nodded and kept walking, before noticing someone out of the corner of his eye. He saw Mishima leaning against a wall, and he was… quivering. He was scared, to the point where he was shaking in place by himself.</p><p>"You saw it, didn't you?" Toya asked, walking towards him. Mishima looked at him with a terrified look in his eyes.</p><p>"K-Kamoshida… He's gonna be really, really angry at practice… He might…" Mishima's words trailed off out of pure fear.</p><p>"...Hey." Toya slowly walked up closer, placing his hand on Mishima's shoulder. "Everything's gonna be okay. After today… Everything's gonna start going much better. For everyone."</p><p>"...H-How do you know…? Wait, are you responsible for-"</p><p>"Don't go to practice after school today, alright? Try to get as many people as you can not to go. Think you can do that?"</p><p>"B-But, Kamoshida will-"</p><p>"Don't worry about him. Let's just say…" Toya grinned, giving Mishima a hopeful stare. "Something's in store for him later today. Something that'll change everything." He turned around and started slowly walking away, putting his hands in his pockets.</p><p>"W-...Wait! What are you gonna…" Toya slowly turned his head, looking back at Mishima. He gave him a thumbs up, and then started walking away again.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You didn't have to do that, you know. Now he thinks you're up to something.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"It'll take some of the attention off of those three. The entire school is gonna be looking at them otherwise. Besides… Mishima needs the hope right now, doesn't he?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Fair enough. What do you think is gonna happen?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"It's hard to say for sure. We heard those three say stuff about stealing Kamoshida's 'Treasure' for the past week, but we still don't really know what that means. We also heard a bunch of whispers about cognition."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Cognition… What could that possibly have to do with anything?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"I… I have a hunch about it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You do?</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"It has to do with something I heard from my father months ago. I won't say anything about it yet, but…"</span> He sighed, walking towards his classroom. <span class="u">"Well, I'll tell you that story another day. Let's just focus on getting through today, and then figure out what we're going to do about those 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts' once school ends."</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Right.</strong>"</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Let's not waste any time at all in addressing everything I got from the last chapter.</p><p>First of all, let's start out with the general consensus of what people think on FFN. PEople are saying that Toya is too reactionary of a character right now- and to be honest, you're entirely right on that. I couldn't really think of a way to avoid that. However, I can safely say that he's going to start taking initiative as soon as next chapter. I had to get through Kamoshida's calling card being sent before allowing him to do anything crazy though, so I couldn't get it done this chapter. But I swear, next chapter is where things will really turn around for him. I think you guys can probably figure out what that means. </p><p>Secondly, I wanted to bring up the formatting of text in the story, since someone brought it up on AO3. </p><p>"Usually its like this:<br/>Bold - Loud noises, yelling<br/>Cursive (Italics) - inner dialog, whisper<br/>Underline - important details, hints, harsh direct wording"</p><p>I'm well aware of how it usually is, but I wanted to change that up a bit for this story. The reason for that is simply just because it feels more natural for me, that's all. And just to clarify, this is what my formatting usually means:</p><p>Bold - Non-human entity. (Think Osiris and Shadows.) If you ever see a human talking while using bold in this story, they're either really angry, or going off the deep end. </p><p>Italics - Flashbacks. There's one other instance where I use italics which I did show off a couple chapters ago, though. If you don't remember it, don't worry. There's going to be another instance of it next chapter, after all.</p><p>Underline - Inner thoughts. To me, flashbacks look a lot better in italics than they do being underlined. This is the main reason I use underline for inner thoughts instead of italics, to avoid overusing it. </p><p>That about sums it up. Next chapter is... Well, I'm sure most of you know what's coming. See you then.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Awakening</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>April 25th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>After School - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p>
<p>Tension. The atmosphere of the entire school was filled to the absolute brim with it, and rumors for an already rumor-riddled school were at an all time high. When everyone got to school in the morning, they were met with a calling card- name dropping one of the most recognizable teachers in the entire school: Suguru Kamoshida. The calling card stated that Kamoshida was a twisted man, with a heart of distorted desires that these so-called 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts' were going to steal. Needless to say, it took mere minutes before the entire school heard about this, and for the halls to be filled with whispers about Kamoshida, and these Phantom Thieves. For the most part, people thought this was just a prank. It's not like Kamoshida seemed like a bad person on the outside.</p>
<p>But for the people who were on the inside, namely the people on the volleyball team he coached… They were the most scared. They knew it was true, and they knew how it would make Kamoshida feel. But because of this, because one boy was so afraid, a movement was being made. Several members of said volleyball were opting out of heading to practice that day, and instead, were making their way out of the school. Everyone knew they needed to get as far away as possible today.</p>
<p><span class="u">"Looks like Mishima spread the word…"</span> Toya looked on as countless people who were covered in bruises ran out of the school.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Good. Less people will suffer as a result of that.</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"I just hope everyone listened… If Kamoshida notices that most people are gone but a few are left, he might go extra hard on them…"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>We can't afford to succumb to that mindset. You did the right thing by telling Mishima to warn his teammates. Have faith that he got to as many people as he possibly could and go on. We have our own work to do, remember?</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"You're right. Sorry."</span> Toya hurried outside as well, slowly walking towards the alleyway where he had previously slipped into the other world. He reached into his bag and pulled out his bandana, tying it around his face and covering himself before peeking his head around the corner, seeing three people for a brief moment before they vanished into thin air. <span class="u">"That was them! They just went into the world!"</span></p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Hurry! Use this chance to follow their route, it'll be safer that way!</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"Yeah, I'm on it!"</span> Toya quickly pulled his phone out and opened the Metaverse Navigator without any hesitation. His search results from his previous entry were already saved, so he was able to waste no time entering the world himself. With a tap of a button, he began slipping out of the real world, and into a world that he still couldn't even dream of, despite having already been there twice.</p>
<p>
  <strong>April 25th, 20XX (Monday) </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>After School - Kamoshida's Castle (Throne Room)</strong>
</p>
<p>He was starting to get used to this world. After so many repeated entries, it was becoming second nature of sorts. The first thing he did when he got in was find where the so-called Phantom Thieves were, and begin following them. Thanks to them, he didn't need to worry about any of the monsters roaming the halls, as the group was more than strong enough to deal with them. Thanks to this, he was able to follow them all the way to the throne room at the top of the castle. He let them enter first, figuring that there would be some kind of surprise behind the massive doors. He waited about 10 seconds before turning the corner and entering the room. Once he was in, he saw them climbing up stairs at the end of the room, headed for a room behind the throne. He silently made his way across the room, getting to the top of the stairs and peeking into the room.</p>
<p>"Still, that was easier than I thought! I thought for sure there'd be some insane trap or something." He heard Ryuji's voice from inside the room. He looked closer and then noticed something completely out of place. A massive crown was floating in front of them, just as tall as they were.</p>
<p>"His Palace will disappear if we take this back, right? And Kamoshida will change too..."</p>
<p>"That should be the case…" He recognized the first voice as Ann, but the second voice… It confirmed his suspicions.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"They really do have a talking cat…"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Wasn't that obvious at this point? We've seen their reactions around it in the real world, and we've seen it with them.</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"Well, yeah. But… You can't be too sure with this world."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Good point.</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>"To think it'd go so well… I've even found three Persona-users in the process… My judgment was correct. I made the right choice in making a deal with you!"</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"Persona-users…? What's that cat talking about?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>We'll figure that out later. We should move before they spot us!</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"Crap, right!"</span> Toya quickly backed away. But when we did, he heard footsteps coming from the other side of the room. He couldn't just leave from the way he came in, there was someone coming that he didn't have the time to deal with. He looked around and saw an open window on the path to his right, leading to an upper part of the room outside. He quickly made a run for it, getting to the open window before the Phantom Thieves were able to spot him.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You really don't want them to know you're snooping around, do you?</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"Depending on how this goes, that might change…"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Hm? What do you mean?</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"If they're really trying to stop people like Kamoshida… Then I wanna help them! I mean, isn't that what my dad would want?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Perhaps. But do you think you can trust them?</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"That depends on how this goes. If they do this right and really accomplish things… Then I'll totally be able to trust them."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Very well. Still, there are a lot of questions about those four. For instance, the term 'Persona-users' we just heard.</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"Yeah… I'm not too sure what that means, either. Unless…"</span> The gears within Toya's mind slowly began clicking into place. <span class="u">"Those… Demon things! Are those what the cat meant by 'Personas'?"</span></p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>I see… That just might be true. So those demons are Personas?</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"But, what's with that name…? It almost makes it sound like it's a part of them… Like a physical embodiment of their souls. But does that even make sense…?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Does anything about this world make sense?</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"Yeah, good point… Still. Do you think taking that giant crown is actually gonna change Kamoshida?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Only time will tell. If it does, we should be able to tell easily.</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>"Wh-What the hell!?" He had completely zoned out. He heard a shocked, almost terrified voice coming from the throne room. He turned around and slowly walked inside… And was met with something that nearly made him jump out of his skin. A massive pink demon was wearing the crown that they were trying to carry out of the Castle. He had multiple arms and horns, making him look completely inhumane, except for one distinct feature. Beneath the crown was a full head of hair, hair that looked eerily similar to Kamoshida's.</p>
<p>"<strong>I'm allowed to do whatever the hell I want!" </strong>His voice was completely twisted. But he could still tell… That <em>was</em> him. That <em>was</em> Kamoshida.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"Okay, it makes sense that he can transform, but WHAT THE HELL AM I LOOKING AT?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Whatever it is… It's out of your league. Leave this one to them.</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"Trust me, buddy. You don't have to tell me that!"</span> Toya slowly started backing away, onto the pillar that was just outside of the throne room. "<span class="u">I'll just stay right here at a safe distance, and those four will be able to-"</span></p>
<p>"<strong>Halt!" </strong>Suddenly, Toya heard a voice from below. He looked down and saw a golden knight at the bottom of the pillar, with two regular knights behind him.</p>
<p><span class="u">"I-I don't have any weapons! What the hell am I gonna do about them!?"</span> He quivered in fear, before the two regular knights transformed. They were black horses with green horns and white hair on their bodies. Before Toya could react, one of the horses smashed their head against the pillar, causing it to shake around. <span class="u">"T-They're insane!"</span> Toya thought to himself as tried his best to keep his balance, but after another smash against the pillar from the same horse, Toya couldn't stay steady. He fell off the pillar, plummeting down to the floor. Before he could land though, the other horse rammed straight into him. He could feel the horse's head smash against his stomach, causing him to scream out in pain before he was sent flying across the room. He spun out in the air and landed flat on the floor, his arms sprawled out at his sides.</p>
<p>"<strong>Hmph. Finish him so we can press onward to King Kamoshida's assistance!" </strong>The golden knight commanded, as the two horses started stepping forward.</p>
<p>"N-No…!" Toya coughed and held one hand to his stomach, pushing the other against the ground. He tried lifting himself up, but fell flat onto his stomach</p>
<p><span class="u">"<strong>Don't just give in!</strong>"</span> Osiris's words cut straight through Toya's head. <span class="u">"<strong>Are you just going to lay there and forget? You're not just here for yourself, damn it! You don't get the right to give up!</strong>"</span></p>
<p>"You're… You're right..." His body shook in pain. Every single movement made him relive the same pain of the horse ramming into him. Yet still, he tried finding the strength to push on. He moved the hand from his stomach to his bandana, gripping it tightly. "I made a promise… I told my father that I'd never stop fighting… That I'd carry out the mission he gave me…! So, no matter what..." He slowly started pushing himself up, pressing his feet to the ground. His breathing was loud and heavy, and he was barely able to stand up straight. His arms were down at his sides and his stomach still ached from the pain. Yet he forced himself to stand, gritting his teeth and staring angrily at the monsters. "I'm not gonna let myself die to anyone that stands in the way of his memory!" He yelled, clenching his hands into fists, his soul burning with the spirit of rebellion.</p>
<p><span class="u">"<em><strong>Are you finally done running?</strong></em>"</span> Toya's purple eyes changed colors and became golden, as he suddenly experienced an overbearing headache, causing him to scream out in pain and fall down to his knees again. The other voice he had heard weeks ago was suddenly back, and his presence was tearing Toya's mind apart. <span class="u">"<em><strong>You couldn't decide whether or not you should get involved in situations you could have altered, and nearly found yourself dead for it. A foolish act indeed… One that you shall learn from.</strong></em>"</span> Toya gripped his head with both hands, squeezing his own skin and grunting in anguish. <span class="u">"<em><strong>Let us form an oath. I am thou, thou art I…</strong></em>"</span> Toya stopped flailing around. He hung his head down and took deep breaths, before suddenly staring ahead at the monsters that were waiting to strike. A blue flame flashed over his face, and with it came a mask. It was a black mask, big enough to cover the entire upper half of his face. There were purple eye guards inside of them, dense enough to completely cover his eyes from view. From there, the mask extended out to the sides of his face. The ends of the mask curved upward and extended up to his hair, making them look akin to horns. <span class="u">"<em><strong>Now, rise up! Judge and sentence all those who stand in your way!</strong></em>"</span></p>
<p>"You want me…?" He said, gritting his teeth while raising his hands to the mask on his face, glaring at the horses that had stopped in their tracks. "COME AND GET ME!" With all of his strength, he ripped the mask off of his face. Blood dripped from his cheeks before erupting into yet another blue flame, one that sent out a wave of pressure strong enough to knock the monsters back. They did their best to hold their ground until the pressure cleared, but once it did, they were met with a new hazard. Standing within the blue flame's origin point was Toya, who had gone over a complete makeover. He had a purple robe around his neck that extended down to his shoulders, with a hood attached to it that was still down. Instead of the Shujin outfit he had been wearing, he now had a dual-colored skin tight chest-piece, with the centerpiece being a dark grey and the outer color being black. Across his chest was a diagonal purple strap, starting from the right side of his collar and extending all the way down to the left side of his waist before wrapping back around on his back. Attached to the strap on his back was a black quiver, filled with an excessive amount of arrows. His black sleeves were just as tight, covering the entirety of his arms. At the end of his sleeves were dark grey gloves that extended from his fingers to a couple inches past his wrists. He also had purple attachments around his wrists that extended up to the back-side of his palms with openings, implying that they were able to shoot something out of them if properly loaded. His grey leggings and black boots that extended up to his shins were similarly tight, his boots having just a bit more breathing room at the ends.</p>
<p>However, Toya's new attire isn't what scared them. Instead, it was the large, demonic figure floating above the ground, looming behind Toya. He also had a black mask, one that covered his entire face, with three amber colored stripes: one on his chin and the other two on each cheek. His eyes glowed the same amber color, as well as a ring that was attached to his forehead and extended upward towards its long white hair. He had his arms crossed, and despite the demonic aura, his skin looked human, a shade similar to that of Toya's skin. Behind his crossed arms was a black, thin vest. He has a golden robe around its waist, with a lighter yellow sheet attached to it that went down further than his knees.</p>
<p>"I feel so different… So strong… So free!" Toya took a look at his new appearance, before showing the horses that tried to assault him a cocky smirk. It enraged one of them, causing them to recklessly charge forward. He stared the horse down as it charged, before clenching his fist and swinging. As soon as the horse was in range, he ducked down and uppercutted it, making it yelp in pain and fly back. He reached into his quiver for an arrow, charging forward with one in his hand and leaping into the air, before he came crashing down on the horse. He shoved the arrow straight through its head, causing it to fade away immediately.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>The other one is charging you!</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"No problem!"</span> A black bow with a purple handle seemed to naturally materialize in Toya's hands as part of his new attire. He stared the horse down and drew his bow back, using the same arrow he used to kill the other one. He took a deep breath before letting the shot go. The arrow flew through the air and pierced right through the horse's head, finishing it off instantly.</p>
<p>"Hah! Not so tough now, are ya!?"</p>
<p>"<strong>How dare you!?" </strong>The golden knight was outraged. It slammed its sword to the ground and transformed, turning into an archangel. "<strong>You'll pay for such insolence!" </strong></p>
<p>"No, you're the one who's gonna pay!" The blue flame from earlier returned, blazing across Toya's face as he covered the upper half of with his left hand, with the exception of one eye. "My father's dreams, and my resolve… I'll show you just how strong they are!" The archangel started flying through the air, charging straight for Toya. "Now! Prove our will, Yama!" Power coursed through him as he commanded the manifestation of his soul. Yama loomed behind him, before spreading his arms out, forming dark magic in his palms and shooting it out at the archangel. However, the archangel was fast. It used its wings to soar into the air, completely evading the attack.</p>
<p>"<strong>Die!" </strong>The archangel roared, gripping its sword tightly while closing in on Toya, ready to strike. Toya chuckled, waiting in place for a few seconds until the archangel got closer. As soon as he did, Toya snapped his fingers. Once he did, Yama extended his arms out and took a hold of the archangel's face. The look in its eyes changed. The anger the archangel once had was completely gone, and in its place was fear. It began shaking, dropping its sword in the process.</p>
<p>"What's wrong? Lost your nerve?" Toya kept chuckling, glaring at the archangel with a condescending tone in his voice. "Attack, Yama!" He ordered, causing Yama to clench his other hand into a fist and punch the archangel, knocking it back. While it was stunned and still taken aback by the fear that suddenly invaded its mind, Toya rushed forward and picked up the sword that it dropped, jumping into the air and slashing straight through the archangel. With a scream, the archangel faded away into a black mist, completely disappearing.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Color me impressed… I didn't think you actually had it in you.</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"That was… A lot more liberating than I wanna admit."</span> Toya smiled and took another look at his attire, his black mask reappearing on his face. <span class="u">"Wait, I can't just sit here! I gotta get back to the others!"</span></p>
<p>"<span><strong>Hurry!</strong></span>" Toya quickly climbed back up the statue, re-entering the throne room. He saw the demonic form of Kamoshida again, as well as the Phantom Thieves.</p>
<p>"<strong>...Ah, I get it! You want to see my killshot again, don't you?"</strong></p>
<p><span class="u">"Killshot…? What is he-"</span> Toya's thoughts came to an abrupt pause as he noticed the figure standing next to Kamoshida. <span class="u">"Wait… Isn't that the girl that tried taking her own life!? What is she doing here!? ...And why the hell is she wearing a bunny suit!?"</span></p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Perhaps it's a fake one, similar to Kamoshida?</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"Maybe… Wait, what's she doing? Is that… a volleyball?"</span> Toya watched as the fake Shiho Suzui passed the volleyball, knocking it into the air.</p>
<p>"I-Incoming!" Ryuji yelled out, as everyone put their guard up. As they did, Kamoshida jumped into the air and spiked the ball. It crash landed right at the group's feet, creating a massive explosion that nearly sent them flying to the other side of the room.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"What the hell…!? They won't survive too many more of those!"</span>
</p>
<p>"He's not letting us get in…" Ren coughed, staring at Kamoshida, and then at the fake Shihio. "If we could get rid of her, he wouldn't be able to do that anymore. That's just a cognitive one, so attacking it shouldn't leave an effect on the real one…"</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You hear all of that?</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"Yeah! They need Shiho taken down fast! I gotta get down there!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Don't! You still have the element of surprise!</strong>" Toya stopped moving, staring at Kamoshida and Shiho. "<strong>Kamoshida doesn't know that you're here, either. Find a chance to get a sneak attack off on Shiho while nobody's paying attention!</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>"<span>Right!</span>" Toya took another look at them all and then ran all the way to the other side of the room, standing in front of the door to the treasure room. He saw Shiho with another ball in her hands, ready to pass to Kamoshida. <span class="u">"Wait for it..."</span> Toya took out an arrow and drew his bow, aiming at Shiho's head and waiting. He took deep breaths until he saw her smack the ball into the air, preparing it for Kamoshida. "<span>Now!</span>" He internally screamed, letting the arrow fly from his bow. It cut through the air while the Thieves had their guard up, and while Kamoshida was too busy spiking the ball. The arrow shot through her arm and caused her to stumble forward a bit, just enough to get into range of the spike. When the ball crash landed into the floor again, the explosion knocked Shiho all the way into a nearby pillar, destroying her instantly.</p>
<p>"<strong>Huh…? Wait, where the hell is Suzui!?" </strong>Kamoshida quickly noticed that Shiho was gone. Toya took cover before Kamoshida could get an idea of who destroyed her, still staying on the upper floor.</p>
<p>"Wait, who did that?" The cat asked, looking at everyone with wide eyes. "Did she just get caught in Kamoshida's attack?"</p>
<p>"It doesn't matter! We gotta use this chance to do somethin' about him!" Ryuji yelled out, staring straight at Kamoshida's face.</p>
<p>"He's right! Let's keep…" Ann tried to rally behind Ryuji, but fell to her knees and ached in pain. "Ugh… But those killshots really did a number on us…"</p>
<p>"If we can get that crown off of him…" Ren took a breath and reached into his coat, pulling out a gun. He aimed at Kamoshida's crown and tried firing, but he was completely out of ammo.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"The crown… They think that getting rid of the crown is gonna stop him?"</span>
</p>
<p>"Joker, we'll distract him! You try getting that crown off of him!"</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"Joker…? What kind of nickname is that?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Doesn't matter! Take cover inside of the Treasure Room, before he sees you!</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"I know, I know!"</span> Toya ran into the treasure room and hid behind the door, peeking into the throne room. From there he saw Ren… Zipping around the room with some kind of grappling hook. <span class="u">"Where the hell did he get that!?"</span></p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Now's not the time to be jealous.</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"I am NOT jealo- Okay, maybe a little. That doesn't answer my question though!"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"<strong>Figure it out later! Make sure they're not gonna die first!</strong>"</span> Toya continued looking at the scene from safety.</p>
<p>"<strong>Hey! Quit moving around so much!" </strong>Kamoshida yelled and swung around a golden knife, trying to slice Ren out of the air. He was able to avoid attacks, but just barely. The others did their best to try and help, but they were weakened at that point, and needed more time to recover- time they didn't have.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"I need to step in again, don't I?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You'll be able to easily knock that crown off from here. Just wait for the right time and do it!</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u">"I'm on it!"</span> Toya put his hand on his mask and watched the scene closely, specifically watching Ren's movements. He would add slight alterations to his movements every time, but his end goal was always the same. He'd always try to get in close to knock the crown off of Kamoshida's head, but Kamoshida would always be there to stop him.</p>
<p>"Arsene!" Ren ripped off his mask and stood on a pillar that was on the second floor. Not even a second later, a large demon wearing red with black wings appeared behind him.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"So that's his… His Persona."</span>
</p>
<p>"You're mine!" Ren yelled out as he covered his face with his hand. Arsene charged up a blast of dark magic, shooting it out at Kamoshida's crown.</p>
<p>"<strong>Not happening!" </strong>Kamoshida yelled out, lifting one arm into the air. Time seemed to slow down in Toya's mind as he watched it unfold. Kamoshida's arm was about to collide with Ren's blast, granting him perfect cover.</p>
<p>"Yama!" Toya quickly took his mask off and glared directly at the crown on Kamoshida's head. Yama appeared behind him and sent out his own blast of dark magic, flying through the air at the same time as Ren's. Just as Toya predicted, Ren's blast colliding with Kamoshida's arm provided the perfect cover. Toya's blast of dark magic came flying in at the perfect moment. The impact was more than enough to knock Kamoshida's crown right off of his head, falling straight down to the floor.</p>
<p>"<strong>Nooo! My… my precious…" </strong>The atmosphere around Kamoshida completely shifted at that moment. He seemed completely dejected, and didn't even sound like he could put up a fight. Toya got back behind cover and waited for Ren to jump back down to the second floor.</p>
<p><span class="u">"That wasn't me…"</span> Ren thought to himself, looking around the room. <span class="u">"Is there someone else here?"</span> He continued scanning the room, and then out of the corner of his eye, he saw something. On the floor next to Kamoshida was a black arrow on the ground, exactly where Shiho originally was.</p>
<p>"Yo! What're you waitin' for!? Get down here!" Ryuji called out to Ren, snapping him out of his thoughts. He jumped down from the second floor back to the rest of his group, staring Kamoshida down. He didn't even look like he wanted to fight anymore.</p>
<p>"Ravage him!" Ren yelled out at the rest of the Phantom Thieves as he rushed forward. At that point, Toya couldn't make out exactly what was happening, as he had retreated back behind cover since firing the blast. All he could hear was the sound of Kamoshida getting bombarded by countless attacks from all 4 of them.</p>
<p>"<strong>Damn you…!" </strong>Kamoshida let out in a voice that slowly faded out as he fell over, his body causing a loud noise as it smacked against the ground. Toya peeked his head out and then quickly ran back to the other side of the room, standing on top of the platform he had originally used to get into the room. When he looked back, he saw Kamoshida holding onto his crown, running back and forth next to a window.</p>
<p>"What's wrong? Not running away? Why don't you run? Aren't you a great athlete?" Ann said in a mocking tone as Kamoshida turned away from her, and the rest of the group.</p>
<p>"<strong>It's always been like this… all those goddamn hyenas forcing their expectations on me! I'm doing this all for them! What's wrong about demanding a reward for that!?" </strong></p>
<p>"Now you're makin' excuses?" Ryuji put his hands in his pockets and stood up straight. "We'll do something about that distorted heart of yours." Kamoshida didn't respond with words. He just murmured.</p>
<p>"Scared?" Ann's voice changed. She wasn't mocking him anymore. She was angry, but it was a silent anger- like a calm, before a massive storm. "Right now, you're seeing the same view that Shiho did." She started walking forward. "I'm sure she was scared too… except she had no choice but to jump…</p>
<p><span class="u">"This… This sounds really bad…"</span> Toya's eyes widened. The tables had completely turned compared to when he first entered the room.</p>
<p>"What will you do? Will you jump? Or would you rather die here?"</p>
<p><span class="u">"<strong>Die? Wait, don't tell me she's going to…!</strong>"</span> Just as Osiris's voice rang throughout Toya's head, Ann's mask turned to a blue flame as her Persona appeared behind her, with a fireball in both hands.</p>
<p>"Do you wanna finish him off? It's your call." The cat crossed its arms, looking at Ann and then back to Kamoshida.</p>
<p>"<strong>No, please wait! I beg you… Just forgive meeee!" </strong></p>
<p>"Shut up. I bet everyone told you the same." Ann's voice was slowly getting louder. "But you… you took <strong>EVERYTHING </strong>from them!" Without warning, Ann's Persona threw one of the fireballs in Kamoshida's direction. It narrowly missed Kamoshida, hitting the wall just behind him instead.</p>
<p>"<strong>I-I accept defeat… You want this? Take it." </strong>Kamoshida got on his knees, tossing the crown in his hands towards Ren who promptly caught it. "<strong>Go ahead and finish me off… You do that… and my real self will go down too… You have that right since you've won…" </strong>Ann clenched her fists and glared angrily at Kamoshida, before suddenly, the other fireball went flying forward, aimed directly at Kamoshida's head.</p>
<p>"ANN!" Ryuji yelled out as the fireball was making way. Time slowed down once again, the same way it did before.</p>
<p><span class="u">"If this version of Kamoshida dies, then so will the real one…?"</span> Toya's thoughts seemed to trail off within the moment of slowed down time. He clenched his fists tightly and closed his eyes, before opening them again and staring directly at the fireball. <span class="u">"No... NO!"</span> His morality took over his body for a brief moment. Before he knew it, his hand was already ripping off his mask. He summoned his Persona without a single thought, sending a blast of dark magic through the air. It just narrowly stopped Ann's attack, the two blasts colliding and causing an explosion of dust. The thieves tried looking towards the direction of the blast, but Toya was already gone. He immediately stepped back and got out of the room, jumping off of the pillar.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>They most certainly noticed you now!</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"I'll worry about it later! I'm getting the hell out of here before they can actually get a good look and figure out who I am!"</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>That certainly got intense, didn't it? </p>
<p>"The first question is, why haven’t you ever fully described either of your OCs’ appearance?"</p>
<p>To be honest, I've been just waiting for a commission first. If you want a rough idea of how Toya looks, then just take a look at my profile picture. Just pretend he's less grumpy and you'll have a decent picture of him. </p>
<p>"My second question is what does Osiris sound like and wether they identify as male or female?"</p>
<p>He's a male, though he doesn't really think about gender at all. Being a voice inside of someone's head does that to you. As for what he sounds like... Well, I don't exactly wanna say that just yet. </p>
<p>"My final question for now was wether or not any canon characters would be on Toya’s confidant list."</p>
<p>Yes, absolutely. He already has Maruki on his, and he'll be getting a couple more here pretty soon. However, it's worth noting that I've changed everyone's corresponding Arcana. That's simply because these are what I think are more fitting for the characters. There's only one exception to this, but you can probably guess who that is.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Suspicions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry that this chapter is so late. I've had some sleeping troubles recently, and a lot of my thoughts have been going to the riots and protests that are happening across the entire country. You probably all know what I'm talking about- especially if you live in the United States. I won't bother going into detail though, since I know none of you are here to listen to my opinions on that matter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>April 25th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Evening - Kazero Household</strong>
</p>
<p><span class="u"><span>"</span>There… We're clear."</span> Toya took deep breaths as he leaned against his front door, slowly sliding down to the ground.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You okay?"</strong></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u"><span>"</span>Yeah, just… really tired."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">
    <span>"</span>
    <strong>I can understand why. Those things you did… Surely it took a lot out of you."</strong>
  </span>
</p>
<p><span class="u"><span>"</span>Something like that…"</span> Toya took a deep breath and slowly picked himself up. <span class="u"><span>"</span>I don't even know where to begin with everything that just happened."</span></p>
<p>
  <span class="u">
    <span>"</span>
    <strong>Let's start with the elephant in the room. What exactly </strong>
    <em>
      <span>
        <strong>happened</strong>
      </span>
    </em>
    <strong>? How did that… thing come out of you? Persona, was it?"</strong>
  </span>
</p>
<p><span class="u"><span>"</span>I don't really know. I kinda just heard it calling out to me… From there, everything just felt natural. I mean, I've never even used a bow and arrow before, let alone controlled some demon."</span> Toya put his hand to his head. He started slowly walking up the stairs, not really looking forward. <span class="u"><span>"</span>Come to think of it… How did I even know it's name? I just said it without even thinking…"</span></p>
<p>
  <span class="u">
    <span>"</span>
    <strong>Yama, right? Do you think it means anything?"</strong>
  </span>
</p>
<p><span>"</span><span class="u">One way to find out…"</span> He pushed the door to his room open. His body was heavy, and all of his movements were slow. He slowly took a seat on his bed and took his phone out, entering 'Yama' into his browser. <span>"</span><span>Huh…"</span></p>
<p><span class="u"><span>"</span><strong>He is the God of Death and ruler of the underworld… judging all those who enter and determining what punishments they are to serve in hell before reincarnation."</strong></span> Osiris paused. <span class="u"><span>"</span><strong>What the hell goes on in your head that I'm not aware of?"</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="u"><span>"</span>I-I don't think I'm some kinda 'god of death' or anything like that!"</span> Toya shook his head and put his phone back down. <span class="u"><span>"</span>But… The other part might have some level of truth to it."</span></p>
<p>
  <span class="u">
    <span>"</span>
    <strong>The judgment part?"</strong>
  </span>
</p>
<p><span class="u"><span>"</span>Yeah. I never thought about it before, but… Now that I'm considering it, I guess I am a pretty judgmental person. Hell, I sat there judging the Phantom Thieves that entire time. Watching from the shadows, trying to judge their actions…"</span> He laughed. <span class="u"><span>"</span>Who would've thought I'd learn this much about myself by summoning a demon from my soul. Today's… not normal, even for recent standards."</span></p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Speaking of the Phantom Thieves… What's your verdict on them?"</strong></span>
</p>
<p><span>"</span><span>I…"</span> His thoughts trailed on for a moment. <span class="u"><span>"</span>I don't know. I mean, they seemed good at first, but…"</span></p>
<p>
  <span class="u">
    <span>"</span>
    <strong>But then the cat encouraged Ann to try and kill Kamoshida."</strong>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u"><span>"</span>And if I didn't stop the attack… She would've done it. Hell, she still might have."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Do you think it would have affected the real Kamoshida?</strong>"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u"><span>"</span>Probably. I mean, Ren specified that the fake Suzui was going to be fine. While on the other hand, Ryuji screamed when Ann was about to kill that version of Kamoshida. Maybe there is a difference."</span> Toya yawned and laid down, staring up at the ceiling. <span class="u"><span>"</span>Sorry, I don't think I can stay up any longer."</span></p>
<p>
  <span class="u">
    <span>"</span>
    <strong>When are you not tired?"</strong>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u"><span>"</span>There are times… when I'm not…" His thoughts paused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">
    <span>"</span>
    <strong>...You fell asleep, didn't you?"</strong>
  </span>
</p>
<p>"Zzz…"</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">
    <span>"</span>
    <strong>How do you even function!?"</strong>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>April 25th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Evening - Leblanc</strong>
</p>
<p>RYUJI: We gotta talk about that.</p>
<p>RYUJI: I mean, what the hell happened!?</p>
<p>REN: You mean the blast?</p>
<p>RYUJI: Yeah! Who the hell did that?</p>
<p>ANN: It was probably a Shadow.</p>
<p>ANN: I mean, we've never met anyone who could enter Palaces before, right?</p>
<p>RYUJI: Well, yeah, but…</p>
<p>REN: It was a person.</p>
<p>RYUJI: For real!? How do you know that?</p>
<p>REN: I saw something when I was trying to knock off Kamoshida's crown.</p>
<p>REN: There was an arrow stuck in the floor where the cognitive Shiho was standing.</p>
<p>RYUJI: What the hell…? So someone else can enter Palaces!?</p>
<p>ANN: But… Who?</p>
<p>ANN: Wait, does that mean someone knows that we're Phantom Thieves!?</p>
<p>RYUJI: Crap, are we already gonna get exposed!?</p>
<p>RYUJI: We'll totally get expelled if that happens!</p>
<p>"I doubt it." Crawling up onto Ren's shoulder from his bag was Morgana, reading all of the texts that were popping up on Ren's phone. "If they shot at the cognitive Shiho, then they were trying to help us. They wouldn't rat us out if they wanted to help us." Ren nodded in response.</p>
<p>REN: Morgana says we probably won't get exposed.</p>
<p>RYUJI: Probably? So we might still be effed?</p>
<p>ANN: We can't think about that.</p>
<p>ANN: Let's just wait. We need to focus on what's happening to Kamoshida first.</p>
<p>REN: She's right. Let's just wait.</p>
<p>RYUJI: But…</p>
<p>RYUJI: Argh, fine! Nothin' we can do anyways…</p>
<p>RYUJI: I'm gonna head to bed. Night.</p>
<p>ANN: Night!</p>
<p>Ren put his phone in his pocket and walked upstairs, into the storage room of an attic that had turned into the room he stayed his nights in.</p>
<p>"What do you think about it?" Morgana jumped onto the bed, looking up at Ren. "The other Metaverse user. What do you think about them?"</p>
<p>"They might be dangerous."</p>
<p>"Yeah, I think so too. The Nav is a powerful tool… If it falls into the wrong hands, someone can cause some serious chaos with it. If that happens, we need to stop them."</p>
<p>"Let's figure it out after Kamoshida."</p>
<p>"Yeah. Let's just get some sleep for now." Ren laid down, putting his hands at the back of his head. He wanted to think more about everything that happened, but his eyes were heavy. The fight against Kamoshida took more out of him than he had initially realized. He closed his eyes, quickly drifting off to sleep without a second thought.</p>
<p>
  <strong>May 2nd, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Early Morning - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p>
<p>A week had passed. Ever since the initial callout of the Phantom Thieves, things have been ominously quiet around the school. The once active whispers of the collective student body fell to silence when Suguru Kamoshida, the man in question, completely stopped showing up to school. Nobody had seen him since the calling card was posted. The school felt a lot of different emotions, but the unanimous feeling amongst the entire crowd was unease. However, something weird was happening that day. A sudden assembly was being called on moment's notice, forcing every student to head to the auditorium first thing in the morning.</p>
<p>"Let's begin this school-wide morning assembly." Principal Kobayakawa said, standing up on the stage at the very end of the room. "As you all know, a tragic event took place the other day. Thankfully, we have been informed that she has pulled through, but it will take time until she recovers."</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">
    <span>"</span>
    <strong>He called a school-wide assembly to tell everyone that she's going to be okay? Is that really necessary?"</strong>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u"><span>"</span>Probably trying to cover up his name. I wouldn't be too surprised if he's been under fire ever since that calling card was posted."</span>
</p>
<p>"Everyone here has a bright future ahead. I implore that you rethink the importance of life and-" Before he could finish speaking, a depressed Kamoshida bursted into the room. The entire student body turned their heads and looked at him in shock.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">
    <span>"</span>
    <strong>He's not dead…"</strong>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u"><span>"</span>He looks like he wishes he was."</span>
</p>
<p>"I… have been reborn." Kamoshida said, his head facing the floor with closed eyes. That is why I will confess everything to you all…"</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"Wait, it actually worked!? Kamoshida is confessing to what he did!?"</span>
</p>
<p><span class="u"><span>"</span><strong>Keep listening."</strong></span> Kamoshida walked up to the stage, standing in front of the entire crowd, his eyes still closed.</p>
<p>"I have repeatedly done things that were… unbecoming of a teacher. Verbally abusing students… physically abusing my team, and… sexually harassing female students. I am the reason Shiho Suzui tried to kill herself!" The crowd bursted into outrage. Nobody knew what was happening. Kamoshida was suddenly confessing to sins that a majority of the student body wasn't aware of, apart from the members of the volleyball team and the people who could enter his castle. "I thought of this school as my own castle… There were even students that I sentenced to expulsion, simply because I didn't like them… I will, of course, rescind those…"</p>
<p>
  <span class="u"><span>"</span>They weren't kidding… He's confessing <em><span>everything</span></em><span>."</span></span>
</p>
<p>"I am truly sorry for putting innocent youths through such horrible acts… I am an arrogant, shallow… and shameful person. No, I'm worse than that…" Kamoshida got on his knees and put his hands on the floor, facing down. "I will take responsibility and kill myself for it!"</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Wait, kill himself? He's just going to avoid any kind of punishment and end his life?"</strong></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"He thinks his life is over, so he's ending it himself… It's kind of sad. I can't feel bad for him considering everything he did, but… I wish I didn't have to see this first hand."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Choosing death over punishment for his sins… Selfish. Pathetically selfish."</strong></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"That's more condescending than usual—"</span>
</p>
<p>"Don't run, you bastard!" A female voice exceeded the voice of everyone else in the room. Toya recognized the voice and turned his head, seeing none other than Ann Takamaki screaming from the front of the crowd. "Shiho's still alive even after all the things that made her want to die! You have no right to run from this!"</p>
<p>"You're right… You're absolutely right… I should be punished under the law and atone for my crimes..." Kamoshida slowly raised his head and faced the crowd once again. "I did horrible things to Takamaki as well. In return for giving Suzui a position on the team… I… tried to force her into having relations."</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"That explains the rumors."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"</span>
  <strong><span class="u">And why she seems to hate Kamoshida so much."</span> </strong>
</p>
<p>"As of today, I will resign from my position as an instructor and turn myself in. Someone, please call the police!"</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"</span>
  <strong><span class="u">Want to do the honors?"</span> </strong>
</p>
<p><span class="u"><span>"</span>Yeah. Might as well."</span> Toya took his phone out, calling his brother and putting his phone to his ear.</p>
<p>"...Toya? Aren't you at school?"</p>
<p>"Kamoshida just confessed to everything."</p>
<p>"Wait, WHAT?"</p>
<p>"Everything. He bursted into the room in the middle of an assembly, got on stage, and admitted his crimes. Verbal, physical, even sexual harassment. He just confessed to all of it."</p>
<p>"What the hell…? Wait, this JUST happened?"</p>
<p>"Yeah. Can you bring some people down here? He's screaming for the police to arrest him."</p>
<p>"Yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can." He abruptly hung up the phone without even saying goodbye.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"Someone's in a rush…"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You should be too. People are getting forced back to their classrooms now."</strong></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"You're right. Let's get out of here."</span>
</p>
<p>"Hey, wait." Toya heard someone calling out to him. He turned his head and saw Ren walking up to him, with Ryuji behind him.</p>
<p>"Amamiya? Sakamoto? What's up?"</p>
<p>"You were on the phone with someone, right? Was it your brother?"</p>
<p>"Talk about being direct… But yeah. It was him. I told him about everything Kamoshida said. He's getting some cops over here now. They're gonna make sure he gets locked up for as long as necessary… To be honest, probably for the rest of his life."</p>
<p>"For real!? Hell yeah!" Ryuji nearly jumped in excitement. "And no permanent damage too! We really hit the nail on the head!" He tried whispering that to Ren, but he was being far too loud for it to actually be a whisper.</p>
<p>"...What?"</p>
<p>"U-Uh, nothing! Just uh… Y-Yeah, nothing at all!"</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>How stupid can one person get?"</strong></span>
</p>
<p>"...Right. I gotta get back to class before they force me out. You two should do the same." He turned around and walked away before the two of them could give a proper response.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Seriously, how stupid is he?"</strong></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"Very, very stupid. Let's just get back."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Fine, fine. Let's just go. You have time off of school soon, right?"</strong></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u"><span>"</span>After today, I have off for a few days. I don't really have anything planned though."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>I see. Perhaps we can try digging something up about the other world in that time."</strong></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"If at all possible, I'd like to. We'll see."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>May 2nd, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Evening - Kazero Household</strong>
</p>
<p><span class="u"><span>"</span>What a day…"</span> Toya walked into his home, closing the door behind him.</p>
<p>"UUUUUUGHHHH…" He heard the sound of his brother groaning almost concerningly loud. Toya walked into the living room, putting his bag down on the table.</p>
<p>"Uh… You alright…?"</p>
<p>"I'm fine, it's just… It doesn't make any sense!" He put his hands to his head, physically racking his brain. "Why would someone confess all of those crimes completely out of nowhere…? The hell drove him into doing this!?"</p>
<p>"Well, there was that calling card. Probably connected to that."</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Was bringing that up to him really a good idea?"</strong></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"He'll find out about it eventually. Rather he just hears it from me."</span>
</p>
<p>"That still doesn't explain a damn thing. Phantom Thieves of Hearts? Stealing desires? There's still no explanation for how someone's entire mind can change like tha-" Kai stopped. His eyes widened as he entered a sudden state of realization. "Wait… a change in mind… Mind…?"</p>
<p>"Uhh… Kai…?"</p>
<p>"N-No, it's nothing. I just had a thought, is all." He got up off of the couch, and for a brief second, he just looked at Toya. He stared right into his eyes. Toya found it unsettling, but Kai quickly stopped. "I just thought of something. I gotta go make a phone call. I might have a breakthrough." He walked past Toya, quickly making his way out of the room- and out of the house entirely.</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>What was up with that?"</strong></span>
</p>
<p><span class="u"><span>"</span>I don't know. There's no way he can figure much out though, right? I mean, it's not like he can possibly know about that world or anything."</span> Toya watched Kai walk outside of the house, closing the door behind him.</p>
<p><span class="u"><span>"</span>No way…"</span> Kai thought to himself, pulling out his phone. He quickly opened his contacts, calling someone.</p>
<p>"Kai…? It's not like you to call at this hour. Is something wrong?"</p>
<p>"Maybe. Look- I need you to tell me a couple things about your research. Now."</p>
<p>"My research? You mean the cognitive psience? Why are you suddenly interested in that?"</p>
<p>"It's… It might be related to a case. Look, I just need you to answer a few questions. Simple, right?"</p>
<p>"I-I guess. What is it?"</p>
<p>"I know a couple of things about it from… past experience. I just need you to clarify a few things. The main thing is… You can directly affect someone's mind with this kind of thing, right? You can theoretically… Change someone's entire outlook on life, right?"</p>
<p>"In theory, yes. Though, that would require changing someone's entire cognition. Only something like that could force them into a-"</p>
<p>"A change of heart, right?"</p>
<p>"...You really do know your stuff. I guess that's the reason you approached back then though, right?"</p>
<p>"Yeah. You're easily the best person I can ask. Ever since…" Kai shook his head. "Nevermind, that's not important. There's one more thing I really needed to ask you."</p>
<p>"Hm? What is it?"</p>
<p>"Overwriting someone's entire cognition… How dangerous could that be? To beas blunt as possible… Could you kill someone doing that?"</p>
<p>"...If someone had the motivation… Then yes. With that kind of power, you could absolutely kill someone."</p><hr/>
<p>
  <em>Toya: "We have to do something! I mean… Are we really just going to let Kamoshida get away with this!?"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Kai: "There's nothing we can do, Toya. Anything we did on our own would be vigilante justice at that point."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Toya: "But…!"</em>
</p><hr/>
<p>"...I see. Thank you for the clarification, Takuto. I'll let you go."</p>
<p>"Hey, are you sure you're okay? You sound-"</p>
<p>"Yeah. Don't worry, I'm alright. I'm gonna turn in for the night. Take care, alright?'</p>
<p>"Oh, alright. Good night then." The two of them hung up. Kai stared at his phone for a minute. Everything around him stopped- apart from the thoughts that were racing at speeds he could barely comprehend.</p>
<p><span class="u"><span>"</span>If Toya is… No, that's impossible! Or…"</span> He took a look through a window. He saw Toya walking up to his room, with a purple piece of fabric sticking out of his pocket. <span class="u"><span>"</span>That's… Damn it! What the hell did Eishi put into that boy's head!?"</span> Kai was both furious and confused at the same time. But no matter his anger, he couldn't do anything rash. He had to be sure. If his hunch was right… Kamoshida's change of heart could be directly correlated to the mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns that were happening for the past two years. If that was true, and if he was correctly fitting the pieces of the puzzle together… Then his brother might not be the innocent young boy he originally took him for. He didn't know the answer, and it scared him. But no matter what, he had to find a way to come to that conclusion- and fast.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>With this chapter, the Kamoshida arc has come to an end. </p>
<p>Doing some reflecting, I think this story is off to a much more interesting start than the previous iteration. I'm spending much more time trying to flesh characters out and make them feel like they actually belong in the world, rather than just being forced in. </p>
<p>Anyways, since there weren't any major questions last chapter, I'd like to take this time to discuss Toya's Persona, Yama. A few details about Yama's backstory were at the beginning of the chapter, but if you want more, simply go onto the SMT wiki and look him up. You'll be able to find all the information you really need there, apart from specifics about his design. Speaking of, I'm still looking into getting a commission done for the story, but I have no idea how long that will take, so please bare with me. </p>
<p>With all of that out of the way, I'm gonna end this off with something I did in the last chapter- that being stats. Specifically, Persona stats. Every few chapters when I think it's important, I'll give an update on Yama's stats at that point in the story, including the moves he has, his current level, the next move he learns by level up, his resistances and weaknesses, and a new addition to P5R: his trait. I'll go into a small breakdown of what to expect from him.</p>
<p>Due to Toya's fighting style being more about outmaneuvering his opponents rather than just taking them down with brute force, Yama's skillset is going to be more about disabling people rather than just simply taking them down. He doesn't have any moves like this yet, but as he levels up, he's going to learn a lot of attacks that inflict different kinds of status ailments. If he were an actual in-game character, his main purpose would be setting up for Technical Hits, allowing for free knockdowns and Baton Passes, which directly plays into Yama's trait. But that's enough explanation, here's everything laid out for you: </p>
<p>Yama<br/>Level 13<br/>Trait: Synergistic Mind (Guaranteed to land a Critical Hit after a Baton Pass)<br/>Affinity: Weak to Bless, Strong against Curse</p>
<p>Skills:<br/>Eiha - Light Curse damage to 1 foe.<br/>Lunge - Light Physical damage to 1 foe.<br/>Evil Touch - Inflict Fear (high odds) to 1 foe.</p>
<p>Next Skill (Level 16):<br/>Rampage - Light Physical damage to all foes.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Dreamer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>
  <em> <strong>August 8th, Last Year (Saturday)</strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em> <strong>Afternoon - Home</strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em>It had been about a week since Toya's training began. He was slowly getting the hang of it, but it was taking a toll on him. He had to be mindful of so many different things all of a sudden. His posture, his diet, and what he spent his time doing… For someone like him, it was rough. He never gave that kind of stuff much thought in the past- nobody ever taught him to. He just kind of went with what seemed appropriate, which was enough to get him to where he was currently at. Without a real parental figure in his life until more recent times, he couldn't do much else. There were hardly ever expectations on him that he actually wanted to meet until he was brought into his current home. With that said, he found certain aspects of this new routine of his to be a bit overwhelming, for lack of a better term. He wanted to make his father proud- but it was at a cost that he wasn't fond of. Regardless, he continued on with his training.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Thirty-four… thirty-five…" His arms were starting to get numb. He thought push-ups would be much easier. They started off really easy, but as time went on, it got progressively harder and harder for Toya to lift his body up into the air while maintaining form. "Thirty...Six…" He grit his teeth and grunted, before finally collapsing onto the ground, his arms completely giving out. </em></p><p>"<em>Hey! You alright?" Eishi came rushing over, putting his arms on Toya's shoulders and helping lift him up. </em></p><p>"<em>I'm fine… Just… Lost my balance…" He took deep breaths. His arms were burning. He knew he wouldn't be able to do another one if he tried. His body didn't want to even bother- but his heart did. His heart desperately wanted to keep going. He took a deep breath before placing his hands back against the floor. </em></p><p>"<em>Hey, ease up…" Eishi spoke in a concerned tone, gently taking a hold of Toya's arms.</em></p><p>"<em>But-"</em></p><p>"<em>But nothing. You're not helping anyone by pushing overexerting yourself. You'll just get hurt." Toya couldn't think of a response. He slowly lifted himself back up onto his feet. His arms hurt noticeably bad, but he was perfectly fine everywhere else. "We still have plenty of time left, you know. You don't have to force this."</em></p><p>"<em>...What's going to happen?"</em></p><p>"<em>Hm? What do you mean?" </em></p><p>"<em>You said we have plenty of time left… What happens when we're out of time? Is… Is something gonna happen to you?" </em></p><p>"<em>No, nothing. C'mon, I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you!" His nervousness was audible, but he did his best to calm him down. </em></p><p>"<em>And what about you…?" Eishi's facade nearly shattered on the spot. "You always say you're gonna protect me. But if you're busy protecting me, then who's gonna protect you?" </em></p><p>"<em>Toya…"</em></p><p>"<em>If I don't push myself, then what's gonna happen when we're out of time? What if…" He couldn't finish speaking. His words trailed off into nothingness. </em></p><p>"<em>Hey… It's okay. Everything's okay." Eishi slowly wrapped his arms around Toya and pulled him into his embrace, placing one palm to the back of his head. "Nothing's gonna happen. We're gonna be okay." </em></p><p>"<em>Dad…" A soft sniffle came from Toya. "I… I don't wanna be alone again…" </em></p><p>"<em>I know. It's okay." He paused and closed his eyes, hesitating. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise." </em></p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>May 3rd, 20XX (Tuesday) </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Early Morning - Kazero Household</strong>
</p><p>"No… Don't go…" Toya tossed and turned in his bed, sweat dripping down his forehead to the rest of his body. "No, dad… DAD!" His eyes jolted wide open and his body shot up. His chest heaved as he stared at his hands with eyes scarred by pain.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Jester? What's wrong?</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Just… Just a dream…"</span> His breath slowly regulated. He told himself that he was just a dream, but it was so much more. It was a flashback. He remembered that day. He remembered every little detail of it vividly.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>...It was your father, wasn't it?</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"...Yeah."</span> Toya laid back down, pulling out his phone. <span class="u">"I wonder if <em>this </em>is a dream, too."</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>What do you mean?</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Everything. All of this… The entire world around me. With all the crazy stuff that's happened over the past few weeks, I can't help but feel like I'm gonna wake up one day, and everything will be completely different."</span> He tapped a red and black icon on his phone screen. <span class="u">"I mean, just look at this… thing. A phone app that can make me travel to some kind of alternate world? For god's sake, I'm talking to a voice in my head. This… None of this is realistic at all."</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Is that such a bad thing?</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"It might be. What if…"</span> Toya stopped, letting his phone fall down onto his bed. <span class="u">"...What if I wake up? What if I'm on some timer, and eventually it runs out, and I lose… all of this. Everyone I know. The happy memories I have with my father, the new life I'm creating with my brother… Even you."</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You can't think like that.</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"I know… I know. It's just… It's hard not to."</span> Toya flipped back onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. <span class="u">"At any rate, if this is some massive dream… I hope I don't wake up. I hope I can enjoy whatever's left..."</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>...You really miss your father, don't you?</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Yeah. I wish… I wish I had more to remember him by. All I have is that bandana he gave me…"</span> Toya sighed, letting his head sink into his pillow.</p><p>"Hey. You alright in there?" Toya heard his brother's voice, accompanied by the sound of knocking on his door.</p><p>"Yeah, I'm alright. You can come in." Kai opened the door a moment later.</p><p>"You're not looking too good… Are you sick?"</p><p>"Sick? Nah I just… Had a bad dream, that's all."</p><p>"A nightmare? Alright…" Kai turned around, starting to walk away. "I'm gonna be home for the day, so let me know if you need anything."</p><p>"Actually, I wanted to ask you something." Kai turned his head to look at Toya again.</p><p>"Hm? What is it?"</p><p>"I was just wondering… Do you have anything that belonged to Dad?"</p><p>"That's… sudden."</p><p>"I know, I just… I've been thinking about him recently. I don't have much to remember him by."</p><p>"I guess that's pretty natural. I can't think of anything specific, but I'm sure I can dig up a couple mementos of him if I look around-"</p><p>"Candidate found." Everything got quiet. A female, somewhat robotic voice changed the entire atmosphere of the house, and Toya knew exactly what it was.</p><p>"...What was that?" Kai asked, giving Toya a questioning look.</p><p>"W-What was what?"</p><p>"That voice. Don't act like you didn't hear it."</p><p>"I-I didn't hear a voice! I don't know what you're talking about-"</p><p>"Are you gonna make me take your phone and find out for myself?"</p><p>"Huh? No, don't do that!"</p><p>"Then tell me what it was."</p><p>"It was…" Toya's thoughts raced through his mind as he tried to find a believable excuse. "A-A dating app…" He whispered, averting his eyes away from his brother.</p><p>"Huh? Look at me and speak up."</p><p>"I-It's a dating app, alright!?"</p><p>"...A dating app. You downloaded a dating a-"</p><p>"We are NOT having this discussion right now! O-Or ever! This conversation will never be had!" Kai gave him a weird look, before finally turning around with a sigh and walking away.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"That… That worked. That <em>actually </em>worked."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Maybe this really </strong><em><strong>is </strong></em><strong>a dream.</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"D-Don't use my dark thoughts as fuel for your snarky attitude!"</span> Toya held his head and shook it, before grabbing his phone and staring at the screen. <span class="u">"Huh…? 'Mementos'? Why did <em>that </em>get a hit?"</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Wanna go find out?</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"I mean, yeah… But what the hell? This is so weird..."</span> Toya got out of bed and grabbed his bandana from his bag, shoving it in his pocket and walking downstairs. He stepped outside of the house and got onto the busy streets of Shibuya. He took his phone back out and checked the Nav. unlike with Kamoshida, this didn't seem like it required multiple different key words. Instead, all that needed to be entered was just… 'Mementos'. It was unsettling, but after everything else Toya had seen in the world, it couldn't be that bad. With that thought in mind, he tapped a button on the app and closed his eyes.</p><p>
  <strong>May 3rd, 20XX (Tuesday) </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Early Morning - Mementos </strong>
</p><p>Toya opened his eyes. The world changed around him, but not in the way he expected. Everything looked <em>mostly</em> the same, but the atmosphere is what felt off. The ground he walked on looked the same, but it felt like he was floating- walking on air that was just barely solid enough to hold his weight.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"This… This is really unsettling."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Compared to the castle?</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"In a way, it's a lot more. It looks like the world I know, the world I live in. Only it's… got this dark aura to it."</span> Toya looked around, and could <em>feel</em> something. All the way from the subway station, he could sense this… pressure. Whatever it was, it felt like Toya was being drawn to it, as he found himself naturally moving towards it without even thinking. He paused outside of the station and tied his bandana around his head before going on. He took very slow steps down the stairs, and once he did… He knew exactly what felt weird. The station was covered in black and red, and just looked… chaotic. Not to mention the fact that everything he was looking at suddenly had a purple tint to it. <span class="u">"What the… My vision is all screwed up."</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>...You can't be </strong><em><strong>that </strong></em><strong>oblivious.</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"What do you mean-"</span> He stopped. He looked at his clothes and immediately noticed what Osiris was talking about. His attire had changed to what he was wearing in the castle- the dark and purple clothes, along with the black mask with purple-tinted lens. <span class="u">"W-Why am I wearing this all of a sudden!?"</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>A natural response without you thinking about it… Perhaps it has something to do with your subconscious mind.</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Whatever it is, it's kinda freaking me out… I just hope there aren't any monsters down here."</span> Toya jumped down onto an empty subway track that looked like it hadn't been used in years. As soon as he did, he heard the sound of footsteps- loud, echoey footsteps. <span class="u">"...No. I did not just jinx this. I refuse to believe it."</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You totally did. Now focus!</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Damn it, fine!"</span> Before long, Toya saw the source of the footsteps turn the corner. It was this… black and white amalgamation. He had no idea what to call it other than that, but it looked creepy as hell. It got worse when it noticed him, though. When it turned its head and saw him, it started charging towards him. When it started charging, its body slowly started morphing into something else. It turned into a black and red liquid that sunk into the floor, and jumped out of the ground as something entirely different- a brutal looking cavalryman, holding a long spear. The cavalryman rushed forward, pointing his spear forward and aiming for Toya's head.</p><p>"Not gonna let you do that!" Toya yelled out as his bow materialized in his hands. He reached into the quiver on his back and took out an arrow, drawing his bow and firing. He didn't aim directly for the knight- and instead at the horse he was riding on top of. One shot right through the head was more than enough to cause the horse to disintegrate into a black mist, causing the knight to fall down onto his back. He quickly picked himself back up and tried rushing Toya on feet- now clocking in at a much more normalized speed. However, he was still far too slow for Toya to not have time to react. Instead of firing his bow, he waited until the knight got in close and stamped his back foot into the ground, using his front foot to kick the knight right in his stomach. The blow was just powerful enough to cause the knight to drop his spear and stumble back, giving Toya his chance to attack. Running forward, Toya picked the knight's spear up and used it to stab straight through the knight's helmet, defeating it instantly.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Man, that was WAY more fun than I wanna admit!"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"<strong>Stay focused, there's more!</strong>"</span> Toya turned his head and saw two more amalgamates transforming behind him. This time, they had taken an entirely different form after their transformation. They looked like troublesome women with green skin, wearing red dresses. They held their hands forward, before suddenly firing shards of ice from their palms, aimed straight for Toya's head. On instinct, Toya ducked down and narrowly avoided the shards, gritting his teeth and looking up.</p><p>"Magic, huh? Let's see how you like it!" He brought a hand up to his mask and quickly ripped it off, summoning his Persona behind him. "Take THIS!" He yelled out as Yama held his hands out, firing a blast of dark magic from his palms towards one of the women. The attack was more than enough to send her flying back, making her body smash against a wall and fade away on impact. Upon one of them being defeated, the other one seemed absolutely furious. She held her hands out and began charging up another blast of ice magic. "No way am I letting you do that again!" He stared directly at her while lifting up the spear he got from the knight. He twirled it around his fingers before gripping it tightly, planting his feet on the ground and throwing it as hard as he could. The spear ripped straight through the air, flying at a speed she couldn't react to. She tried to fire her shard of ice, but it was far too late for her to get an attack off. The spear ripped right through her head and killed her instantly. "Hah! I'm really getting into this now!"</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You're like a child…</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"You're just jealous that you don't get to do this too!"</span>
</p><p>"<strong>That's enough." </strong>A voice that Toya actually recognized cut off the conversation that he was having with Osiris. He turned his head, and sure enough, he saw something he saw at Kamoshida's castle. It was another archangel, but this one looked… angrier. "<strong>You've murdered everyone you've seen down here for your own enjoyment, and are a hazard to the rest of us. For that reason, you shall meet your end here!" </strong></p><p>"What's with archangels and having way too much to say? You're just like the last one."</p><p>"<strong>Don't mock me, brat!" </strong>The archangel's anger spiked as he raised his sword into the air. When he did, two more creatures were summoned next to him. They looked like regular angels, without the armor and weaponry while still having wings.</p><p>"New tricks! Fine, let's do this!" With a cocky smirk, Toya started rushing forward while holding his bow in hand, reaching for arrows with the other hand.</p><p>"<strong>Stop him!" </strong>The archangel yelled, commanding the lesser angels to attack, their hands began to glow with luminescent energy, before blasts of holy energy started raining down from the sky.</p><p><span class="u">"T-That's new!"</span> Toya started running faster, doing his best to avoid the constant barrage of holy energy. He rolled and jumped as well, whenever he needed to quickly avoid a blast. Thankfully, he was starting to close a good amount of distance, but he needed to take the angels down- and he knew how to do it in a literal fashion. As he was running forward he slowly leaned his back down and began sliding, keeping his momentum with his bow in hand. While sliding across the ground, he found the perfect opportunity to take aim with his bow and fire at the angels- aiming specifically for their wings. He shot one arrow at a time, firing at both wings on both angels. With good aim, partly thanks to the adrenaline flowing through his veins, he was able to clip their wings and cause them to fall to the ground. They were destroyed, but they couldn't move.</p><p>"<strong>How is this happening!?" </strong>The archangel was furious at the sight of his allies getting taken down.</p><p>"What's wrong? You were acting all confident a minute ago!" Toya got back up on his feet and stared the archangel down, grinning and taunting him.</p><p>"<strong>I will DESTROY you!" </strong>In a fury, the archangel flew forward, much faster than the one in Kamoshida's castle. But this time, Toya had a new strategy- a much more direct one. He waited for the archangel to get in close and ducked the slash from his sword, before quickly maneuvering just behind the archangel and taking out an arrow, stabbing straight through one of his wings. The archangel screamed in pain, before quickly turning around and trying to slash at Toya again. Toya once again got behind the archangel, before jumping up again, punching the archangel right in his face. He grunted in pain as Toya's fist collided directly with his face, pushing him back just a bit. But before Toya landed on the air again, he pushed his feet against the archangel's chest, jumping off of it and flying back in the air. He flew through the air while twirling, grabbing one more arrow and drawing his bow. Just before landing, he took aim at the archangel's remaining wing.</p><p>"YOU'RE OPEN!" He yelled out as he fired the arrow right at his wing. The arrow ripped straight through the feathers of the wing and crippled him, causing him to fall to the ground next to the first two angels.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Finish it!</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Right!"</span> Toya rushed forward without a second thought and began an all-out onslaught of attacks. He dashed around the 3 angelic beings, striking them with punches and arrows at every chance he got. Once he was finally done, he landed on the opposite side of the room, his back to the three angels while holding his open hand in front of him.</p><p>"You were just outta luck." He said while snapping his fingers. As soon as he snapped his fingers, the angels began spewing blood out of their bodies until they all faded away together.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You really wanted to show off, didn't you?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>"That…" Toya paused, closing his eyes.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>...Huh?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>"...That was SO COOL! Did you see that!?"</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Oh my god…</strong>"</span>
</p><p>"They couldn't even keep up with me! I dodged EVERY single attack and DESTROYED them! I EVEN GOT TO SAY A ONE-LINER!"</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You really are a child…</strong>"</span>
</p><p>"I am the coolest child EVER!"</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>D-Don't use my insults as fuel for your inflated ego!</strong>"</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I made Toya such a dork... A dork that I love, but a dork all the same. </p><p>No, I don't regret my choice.</p><p> </p><p>"Will Toya’s brother end up becoming an antagonist?"</p><p>Antagonist isn't the right word for it, but he'll definitely be someone Toya has to be careful around for a while.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Family</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry that updates are getting slower and slower. The entire world is pretty busy- and I'm not an exception. Additionally, I've been taking on a few projects with some friends, so that's taking up a good chunk of my time. I'm not going to let it stop me from updating the story or anything like that though, so don't worry about that.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>May 6th, 20XX (Friday) </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>School was finally back in session, after a few days of fun. Fun was subjective, though, as many students had different definitions of what they considered to be fun. Some just considered it hanging out with friends. Some people went to the movies, and some people went out to fancy restaurants. They were considered 'normal' by teenager standards.<br/><br/></p><p>But some people found their fun in an entirely different manner- an entirely different <em>world</em>, at that. One of these people was a high schooler named Toya Kazero. Unlike the rest of his peers with normal methods of fun, Toya got his kicks in Mementos- an area that nobody else had even heard of. It was filled to the brim with amalgamations that transformed into monsters. Toya had his fun by fighting each and every monster he saw.<br/><br/></p><p>Overall, it was actually pretty easy for him. The monsters themselves weren't anything special. Some of them could fly, and some of them had magic; but they paled in comparison to anything Toya could do. After a few days of adjusting, he actually found it to be pretty natural. Thanks in part to the training he was doing with his father, and of course, the smartass voice in his head, Osiris. He enjoyed the company, though.<br/><br/></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>What's on the agenda for today?</strong>"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"I'm not sure. I've been going to Mementos for days now… I kinda wanna do something else now that school is back."<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>No more attacking the same cycle of monsters?</strong>"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Oh, come on! I fought plenty of different ones!"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You ran for your life when the big one showed up. The one with the guns, and chains surrounding it.</strong>"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Well, duh! You saw what that thing looked like, right!? It would've murdered me!"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You're a coward for not at least trying.</strong>"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"No, I'm SMART for not getting myself killed! I swear, one of these days I'm gonna-"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>"...Hey." The conversation was stopped by the sound of someone coming up to Toya. He turned his head and saw Mishima standing in front of him, with Ren behind him, listening in on the conversation.<br/><br/></p><p>"Oh, Mishima. Hey, you're looking way better now! No bandages or bruises anymore!"<br/><br/></p><p>"Uhh… Y-Yeah, thanks…" He put his hands in his pockets, looking away for a second. "So, uh… Have you seen that Phantom Aficionado Website?"<br/><br/></p><p>"Phantom Aficionado Website…? Oh, is that the Phantom Thieves website? I heard my brother talking about it."<br/><br/></p><p>"I'm the one who started it." Toya was caught off guard. He was taken even further off guard when Mishima leaned forward and started whispering. "Um… You're the Phantom Thief, aren't you?"<br/><br/></p><p>"W-Whoa there, personal space, buddy!" Toya took a step back. It wasn't so much to get away from Mishima, though. He was more interested in what Ren's facial expression said. As expected, Ren was just as surprised to hear it.<br/><br/></p><p>"...Sorry. Although… if things really are as I think, I should keep it a secret."<br/><br/></p><p>"Y-Yeah, definitely, uh…" Toya took a seat on his desk. "...Keep quiet about it, please."<br/><br/></p><p>"Yeah…" Mishima looked down. A depressed look was suddenly plastered over his face. "Kamoshida used me, and… He forced me to be quiet. I had to spread some bad rumors about people too because of him. This isn't much of a way for me to apologize for it… But if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know!"<br/><br/></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>At least his heart is in the right place.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>"...You've got a good heart, man. Thanks for the encouragement." Toya smiled and stood back up, as he felt something vibrate in his pocket.<br/><br/></p><p>"O-Oh, one more thing!"<br/><br/></p><p>"Hm? What's up?"<br/><br/></p><p>"...You're gonna keep going, right? There's a lot of evil adults in this world…"<br/><br/></p><p>"...Don't worry. The Phantom Thieves will change the world!"<br/><br/></p><p>"Y-Yeah! And I'll do my best to help however I can!"<br/><br/></p><p>"I'll be counting on you, alright? I won't be able to do this without you." Toya held his hand out. Excitement filled Mishima's eyes as he quickly reached for his hand and shook. Toya could sense abundantly high expectations, but he kind of enjoyed it. He helped Mishima out of a horrible situation. After the handshake, Mishima promptly walked away. "The Phantom Thieves…" Toya said out loud, walking past Ren's desk. "Surely they won't stop here, right?" He looked back at Ren, directly into his eyes.<br/><br/></p><p>"I don't know."<br/><br/></p><p>"Come on. You don't gotta lie to me like that. It's written all over your face. Nobody would have eavesdropped that hard unless the conversation directly related to them." Toya averted his eyes to the other side of the room. "Not to mention that your friends are standing there, waiting for a good time to walk over." Ren couldn't come up with a proper response to that. "...I'm not gonna go telling my brother, if that's what you're worried about. Just focus on stopping the next big name, and I'll keep Mishima from breathing down your neck. Sound good?"<br/><br/></p><p>"...Thanks."<br/><br/></p><p>"Yeah. Don't worry about it. I'm not gonna try figuring out how you did it or anything either. As long as you're doing good for the world… I'm not really interested in the means." This was the first proper conversation that the two of them had. Toya had spent a majority of the last few minutes lying through his teeth, but… He was happy to get to know him. Mishima was the first person Toya's age that he felt like he could talk to in the school, even if he seemed like an obsessive fanboy. Meanwhile, Ren was much more quiet. He seemed appreciative, but he didn't want to show it. Whether or not that had to do with the amount of people around, Toya couldn't tell.<br/><br/></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You should get going. Don't forget the phone notification you felt.</strong>"</span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>"I gotta get going. Take care of yourself, alright? Oh, and… Try to do a better job of hiding the cat. I'm pretty sure the entire class can hear him meowing…" Ren gave a nervous glance at the inside of his desk where he kept Morgana. Toya turned around and started walking away, before noticing Ann and Ryuji walking in Ren's direction.<br/><br/></p><p>
  <span class="u">"Wonder what those two think…"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Are you sure it was a good idea to tell him you know that he's a Phantom Thief? I thought you didn't agree with what they almost did to Kamoshida.</strong>"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Well yeah, but… I don't know. It just feels right. And… I don't know. Maybe I just want to have faith in them."<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Do you want to join them?</strong>"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"No… I mean- you remember what I had to do to stop Kamoshida from getting killed, right? How do I explain that?"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>The longer you wait to tell them, the worse it'll get.</strong>"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"I know… I know. But it's just… Ugh."<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>I'm not telling you to do it now. But at some point, it's going to be too late.</strong>"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"We'll see when I can find a way to explain myself. Until then…" Toya dug into his pocket and took out his phone. "Huh… Messages from Kai. I wonder what this is about."<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>KAI: WHAT R U DOING AFTER SCHOOL 2DAY?</p><p>TOYA: I think I'm just gonna go home.</p><p>KAI: GOOD.</p><p>KAI: NEED 2 TALK LATER</p><p>TOYA: Oh, sure. About what?</p><p>KAI: ILL TELL U LATER</p><p>KAI: GONNA B HOME IN 20 MINS</p><p>TOYA: I'll catch a train now.<br/><br/></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>I have a bad feeling.</strong>"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Huh? How so?"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Just… A feeling. I can't explain it.</strong>"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Kai wouldn't do anything to me. I mean, he's my brother. I'm not worried about it- but we'll see what happens."</span> Toya walked out of the school and headed on his way home, through the subway station.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>May 6th, 20XX (Friday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Kazero Household</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>"Hey, Kai? You here yet?" Toya called out as he opened the door and walked inside. "Sorry for taking a while. My train got delayed, so it took way longer than it should have…" He got to the living room and saw Kai there, sitting on the couch and staring at photos on the desk. "What're you looking at?"<br/><br/></p><p>"Take a look, please." He took a step forward, picking up the printed photos and taking a look. And, what he saw… It shook him. It was pictures of him- taken throughout the past week. It showed him walking towards the subway station, and then seemingly disappearing into thin air without a trace.<br/><br/></p><p>"Y-You've been <em>stalking</em> me?"<br/><br/></p><p>"I've been doing my <em>job</em>. Seems you've been pretty busy yourself. This is something you've been doing fairly regularly, after all."<br/><br/></p><p>"What are you trying to say?"<br/><br/></p><p>"I'm trying to say that you're up to something. You're disappearing into thin air, then coming back home absolutely exhausted."<br/><br/></p><p>"That doesn't mean I'm doing anything wrong!"<br/><br/></p><p>"I have other reasons to believe that you are. Namely everything that happened with Kamoshida."<br/><br/></p><p>"Kamoshida? W-Wait, you think <em>I'm</em> responsible for that!?"<br/><br/></p><p>"It lines up, doesn't it? I mean, come on. You're the one who wanted to do something to him. You're the one who spent a week looking into him. And then suddenly, he confesses every sin he's committed during his time teaching and gets a life sentence? Those things don't just <em>happen</em>." Sweat dripped down Toya's face. He tried to speak, but his voice wouldn't let him. He couldn't refute <em>anything</em> that Kai was saying. "...I'll get right to the point. You're the one who made Kamoshida confess to everything he did."<br/><br/></p><p>"S-So what if I am!? It's not like I'm doing anything wrong!"<br/><br/></p><p>"You're acting like a damn vigilante! For god's sake- do you have any idea what your father would say if he knew you were doing this!? He'd be-"<br/><br/></p><p>"Don't even PRETEND to act like you care what he'd think!" The tone shift was uncanny. Kai's entire mind stopped in place as he heard Toya suddenly raise his voice with him. Without realizing it, Kai hit a nerve- one that upset Toya more than he could possibly imagine. "You hated him! You ALWAYS hated him! Do you think I forgot the things you said to him!? The way you yelled at the top of your lungs because you didn't agree with his mindset? Don't try to convince me that you had a care in the WORLD for what he thought was right and wrong!"<br/><br/></p><p>"Listen, I-"<br/><br/></p><p>"You know how Dad <em>would </em>feel? He'd be proud of me! Proud that I'm doing something good for the world, without turning my back on family for it!"<br/><br/></p><p>"I'm not turning my back on anyone!"<br/><br/></p><p>"You STALKED me! You didn't want to even speak to me about your suspicions until you had damning evidence on me that'd force me into talking! I mean- do you think I'd just ignore you!? I thought we were brothers!" His voice was strained. Not only that, but there was audible pain hidden behind the anger.<br/><br/></p><p>"I didn't-"<br/><br/></p><p>"...But I'm not a brother to you, am I? I'm just a mini Dad. That's all you've <em>ever</em> seen me as. You hated him, and hate me for being like him." Without considering what Kai might say in response, Toya turned around and started running out of the house.<br/><br/></p><p>"Toya, wait! Toya!" The only response he was met with was the sound of the sound of the front door slamming shut. He got up and ran towards the door, quickly pushing it open and scanning the outside. He looked for Toya, but he couldn't see him anywhere. The busy streets of the city were in full effect, and he was able to easily blend in with the crowd. He reluctantly slipped back inside and closed the door, cursing himself under his breath and pressing his head against the door. "Way to go, Mr. 'Detective'. Can't even figure out your own family…"</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>May 6th, 20XX (Friday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Mementos </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>In his moment of emotional weakness, Toya could only think of one place to run off to. His own personal hiding place, the place only he knew about- almost like a secret hideout. Mementos. He had no idea what it really was, but it didn't really matter to him. It was quiet, and more importantly… It was his. At least, that's what he thought.<br/><br/></p><p>"<span><strong>Well?</strong></span>"<br/><br/></p><p><span class="u">"Well what!?"</span> He instinctively snapped, the lingering anger from before getting the best of him. <span class="u">"...Sorry. I didn't mean to… yeah."<br/><br/></span></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You're only human. You can't be put at fault for something like that.</strong>"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Maybe. But still, I just… Ugh."</span> He leaned against a wall and slowly slid down to the ground, wrapping his arms around his knees.<br/><br/></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Say, I'm curious about something. You said your brother </strong><em><strong>hated </strong></em><strong>your father, correct?</strong>"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Yeah. He never outright said it, but… It was easy to tell."<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<span><strong>How?</strong></span>"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"I guess it's story time again. Well, this was almost a month after my training began."</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <strong>August 27th, Last Year (Friday)</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Afternoon - Home</strong>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Toya was getting better. His body felt lighter, even though he was starting to put on more and more muscle overtime. He finally had some kind of a form as well. He wasn't perfect in the slightest, but he was getting somewhere. <br/><br/></em>
</p><p>"<em>School starts up again pretty soon, right?" Eishi asked, walking into the same room as Toya and tossing him a water bottle. <br/><br/></em></p><p>"<em>Yeah. Just a few more days." Toya caught the bottle and quickly opened it, closing his eyes and taking a big sip while stretching his free arm. <br/><br/></em></p><p>"<em>Time went by really fast, didn't it?"<br/><br/></em></p><p>"<em>Well, we spent almost the entire time doing this. Time flies once you're used to this." <br/><br/></em></p><p>"<em>Maybe, but it was sure as hell worth it! Just look at you!" Eishi was right. Toya was almost unrecognizable compared to what he looked like when summer started. He never paid mind to it before since it wasn't something he personally cared about, but it was something that was interesting to take note of every once in a while. "Keep this up and the ladies are gonna be all over you by the end of the year!" Toya nearly choked on his water, coughing up a bit of it. Eishi couldn't help but laugh at the sight as Toya wiped his lips, trying to hide the blush growing on his cheeks.<br/><br/></em></p><p>"<em>I-I'm not interested in that kinda stuff!" <br/><br/></em></p><p>"<em>Oh, you're not? Ohh… You're more into guys than girls, huh?"<br/><br/></em></p><p>"<em>Huh!? I never said-"<br/><br/></em></p><p>"<em>Hey, I'm not gonna judge you for it. Like whoever you want!"<br/><br/></em></p><p>"<em>I'm not into guys! W-Why are we even talking about this!?" Eishi broke out into another laughing fit. </em></p><hr/><p>
  <strong>May 6th, 20XX (Friday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Mementos</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Well? Was he right? Were the ladies 'all over you' by the end of the year?</strong>"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"You're only asking that to get a reaction out of me, aren't you!?"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>That's not an answer.</strong>"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"You're impossible… You can't even let me finish my story without poking fun at me!"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Fine, I'll stop for now.</strong>"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"What do you mean 'for now'!?"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Just finish the story.</strong>"</span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"God… Okay, fine. Jeez…"</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <strong>August 27th, Last Year (Friday) </strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Evening - Home</strong>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>A few more hours passed. The sun had set, and the day's training had ended. Toya was tired, but he felt satisfied about how things were going. Eishi was in the bathroom, leaving Toya to himself. He heard the sound of the front door opening, and someone walking inside. <br/><br/></em>
</p><p>"<em>Kai? What're you doing here?" Toya said with confusion. Kai almost never came over- this was only Toya's second or third time ever seeing him. <br/><br/></em></p><p>"<em>I'm here to talk to father about something." Kai glanced at Toya and saw the sweat dripping down his face, and saw how worn out he looked. "You've been busy today, haven't you?" <br/><br/></em></p><p>"<em>Well, yeah. Me and Dad have been training since summer started." Kai froze up as he heard that. <br/><br/></em></p><p>"<em>I'm sorry- can you repeat that? Did you just say he's training you?"<br/><br/></em></p><p>"<em>Huh? Well, yeah… Is that weird?" Moments later, Eishi came back from the bathroom and walked into the room. <br/><br/></em></p><p>"<em>I thought I heard your voice, Kai! What brings you here?"<br/><br/></em></p><p>"<em>I needed to talk to you about something, but we have something </em><em><strong>else</strong></em> <em>to talk about now." Kai had his hands in his pockets, but Toya could see slight strain on his arms. He was clenching his fists- really tightly, too. "Let's go into a different room." Kai walked past the two of them, with Eishi following him. <br/><br/></em></p><p>"<em>Stay here, alright? We gotta talk about something private. It won't take long, don't worry." He didn't even look at Toya while he was talking, nor did he even let him respond to it. Toya was worried. He waited a minute before quietly walking forward, leaning next to the wall to the room the two of them were in. <br/><br/></em></p><p>"<em>What the hell were you thinking!? That's your kid, for Christ's sake!" <br/><br/></em></p><p>"<em>I thought we wanted someone we can trust…"<br/><br/></em></p><p>"<em>That didn't mean your own family! What are you going to do if he gets hurt- or worse!? It's a blatant disregard for his safety!" Toya couldn't see Kai, but he could feel his anger from the other side of the wall. "God, you haven't learned a single thing, have you!? Deep down you're still the same insufferable bastard you were when I was his age!" Toya started taking steps away. Listening to Kai talk to his father like that… It didn't feel right. Sure, he could walk into the room and say something, but he didn't want to get involved- he couldn't possibly get involved. He just walked away slowly, trying not to alert either of them that he was listening in on the conversation.</em></p><hr/><p>
  <strong>May 6th, 20XX (Friday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Evening - Mementos </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>He gets angrier than he likes to let on, doesn't he?</strong>"<br/><br/></span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Yeah. A </span><em><span><span class="u">l</span>ot </span></em><span>more.</span>"<br/><br/></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>And he really doesn't like your father, either. Do you know why?</strong>"</span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"Nah, I never got the chance to really talk to Kai about his life. But… Does it justify all of <em><span>that? </span></em>It's still his father we're talking about."</span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>It's human nature, isn't it? If your father really did wrong him, then it's expected for him to be holding a grudge for so long.</strong>"</span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p><span class="u">"Yeah, but…"</span> He let out a defeated sigh, then yawned. <span class="u">"I don't know. I can't think about stuff that I don't know the full story on. I'll just wait a while longer and get home while he's asleep. Maybe tomorrow I can figure something out with him."</span><br/><br/></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Are you worried that he'll report you to the cops?</strong>"</span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p><span class="u">"No, I don't think he'd do something like that. I don't know exactly what his plan is, but I doubt he'll do that. I guess we'll just wait and see…"</span> Toya closed his eyes. He tried getting his mind off of the topic, but he couldn't. He was so sensitive when it came to his father that it made him get almost unreasonably angry. He didn't want to snap at Kai the way he did, but… He couldn't control it. In part, he had been holding that anger back ever since that day in August. But it didn't matter anymore. What was done was done. He just had to wait to figure out what exactly the consequences were. Until then, he just had to wait.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>"A moment if toya kills shadows without care in the metaverse that would not originate another assassin of the mental stoppages."</p><p>Toya's definitely not killing anyone in the real world by killing the Shadows in Mementos. The only ones that he's fought are the ones that you can find as regular enemies in Mementos in the game. He hasn't gone after any of the Shadows that you can find through requests.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Brothers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>May 7th, 20XX (Saturday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Early Morning - Mementos</strong>
</p><p>Toya's mind was fuzzy. The feeling of abruptly waking up from a deep, unintended slumber was impossible to shake for anyone- especially someone with sleeping habits as horrid as his.</p><p><span class="u">"What…?"</span> He brought his hand up to his face, and immediately noticed something was wrong. He reached to rub his eyes but was met with something blocking the entire upper part of his face. He had to blink a few times before also noticing the fact that there was a purple tint to his eyesight. Slowly, the daze clouding his head was fading away, quickly being replaced with a feeling of shock and dread as he became more aware of his surroundings. He quickly got up on his feet, feeling around his face and realizing exactly what was blocking his eyes. His mask. He suddenly knew where he was. The memories from the day prior came flooding in. He took his phone out to check the time, seeing that it was already morning. His alarm, which he had completely slept through, went off about 20 minutes ago. <span class="u">"Did- Did I pass out <em>here!? </em>In MEMENTOS!?"</span></p><p><span class="u">"<strong>Yes.</strong>"</span> Osiris's voice was reassuring, yet irritating at the same time.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"And you never woke me up!?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You're the heaviest sleeper on the planet. How was I supposed to wake you up?</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Damn it!"</span> He quickly opened the Metaverse Navigator on his phone, walking up the stairs of the monster-ridden subway station. <span class="u">"Okay, it's only 20 minutes! I have enough time! Just gonna take a REALLY quick shower and run to get the train! Easy!"</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You definitely don't have enough time.</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Shut up and watch!"<br/><br/><br/></span> <span class="u"></span></p><p>
  <strong>May 7th, 20XX (Saturday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Early Morning - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p>Somehow, he did it. Defying all expectations Osiris had of him, and even the expectations he had of himself that he didn't want to admit, he was somehow able to get to school on time.</p><p><span class="u">"See…? What'd I tell you? Easy…"</span> Toya pressed his hand against a wall and took deep breaths, closing his eyes.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You got on the second train because you were too late to get to the first one, got off a stop too early because you panicked, and had to run all the way here just to get to school. Even then, you barely had time to spare.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"But I did it! That's all that matters."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You're hopeless…</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"I have all the hope you could ever need!"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"<strong>That's not what I meant!</strong>"</span> Their bickering continued as Toya walked into the building. As soon as he stepped foot inside, he heard the sound of the bell echoing throughout the halls.</p><p>"Cutting things pretty close, don't you think?" He heard a female's voice coming from his left. He turned around and saw someone walking towards him- a girl in a Shujin uniform. She was a bit shorter than him and had short, dark brown hair in a bob cut. Toya had no idea who she was, though.</p><p>"Yeah… Something like that."</p><p>"You should get on to class. That is, unless you have something more <em>important</em> to attend to." Toya didn't like her tone. She had a bit of cockiness in her voice, and she put emphasis on some of her words, like she was trying to get him to slip something out of his mouth in an instinctive response without thinking. It reminded him of yesterday, when Kai had confronted him. That only made him get angry.</p><p>"...If there's something you're trying to say, I'd appreciate it if you were more direct about it."</p><p>"Hm? I'm not sure what you're implying." She was just toying with him. It frustrated him even more.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Easy. She's just trying to get something out of you. You have no need to entertain her.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>"...Nothing, nothing at all. I'll be going now." His eyes were closed until he had turned his head. He didn't want to look at her while speaking after hearing the bits of what she had to say. It was getting to him more than he wanted to admit, and he couldn't stand the annoyance at the moment. Not to mention, getting to school on time just to get to class late would feel awful, and he didn't want to make the mad-dash he had to run to get here a waste. Without further acknowledging anything the girl had to say, Toya walked in the opposite direction and towards the nearest staircase.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"What the hell was her deal!?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Calm down.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"But…!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>But nothing. You're getting irrationally angry at her due to something that doesn't involve her.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"What is that supposed to mean?"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"<strong>You're still angry at your brother, aren't you?</strong>"</span> Toya's responses stopped, as did his movements. He clenched his fist in frustration. He didn't want to admit it, but Osiris was right. Osiris knew how he acted at this point, having quite literally lived inside of his mind for all this time. <span class="u">"<strong>You can't be mad at her for a similarity like that. She couldn't have possibly known.</strong>"</span></p><p>"<span class="u">Yeah… You're right. Sorry."</span> Toya thought about Kai, and the conversation that they had yesterday. Deep down, he felt pretty bad. Even if Kai went and stalked him the way he did, it didn't change how wrong what Toya did really was in his mind. The frustration blinded him from that for a bit, but he knew it was true. Osiris reminded him of that. He felt the urge to take out his phone, and noticed he had a plethora of missed calls from Kai, as well as a voicemail. He gave a blank stare at his phone before slipping into the nearby bathroom, taking one of the stalls and leaning against the wall.</p><p>"Hey… I know you're probably keeping yourself busy. Or… Nah, you're probably just ignoring my calls. I can't really blame you for that though, can I? I kinda… deserve it." His voice was softer than his normal tone. There was a notable hint of regret as well, clearly audible through his phone. "I just wanted to say that I'm not gonna be home for a bit. We're going over everything Phantom Thief related for a bit, seeing if we can draw any similarities between what happened between Kamoshida and… Something else. I'd rather tell you in person rather than over the phone. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about… That." He took a long, deep sigh. The sound of his sullen voice was lodged deep within the depths of Toya's mind. "I'll probably see you in a week or so. Take care of yourself. And…" He stopped. It felt like time itself stopped. "...I'm sorry." The voicemail abruptly ended after that. Toya didn't say anything for a moment. He just stayed still, his back against the wall. He felt cold. His entire body felt cold, apart from the warm feeling of tears strolling down his cheeks. He closed his eyes while putting his phone back in his pocket. He made a fist and banged it against the wall on the opposite side of the stall, pressing his forehead against it while his tears came out.</p><p><span class="u">"Damn it!"</span> He grit his teeth and banged his fist against the wall once more. <span class="u">"How the hell did I screw up so bad?"<br/></span></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Screw up?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"You heard his voice, didn't you? That's all on me…"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>How is it possibly your fault?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"I'm the one who ran off like that. I fell asleep in some parallel dimension, or whatever the hell Mementos is. I mean- he was probably worried sick!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Even though he's the one who stalked you, confronted you, and enraged you. You still blame yourself for this?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"It doesn't matter who started it. Either way… I still did something I shouldn't have. Some of the blame is on me, no matter how you spin it."</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"<strong>...You're strange.</strong>"</span> The sound of the minute bell rang throughout the halls. Conversations began quieting down, and the amount of footsteps outside slowly dwindled. Toya pried himself off of the wall, wiping his eyes and stepping outside of the stall. He went to the nearest sink in the bathroom, splashing water on his face and staring at the mirror. The person he saw on the other side of the mirror… It was still him. But he gave off a different vibe- a different aura was surrounding him. He wasn't the confused kid who wanted to learn more about the world around him, not in that moment. Instead, he was the confused kid who needed to learn more about himself, about his humanity. What was right, and what was wrong. How to be mature. How to be better than what he was. He wanted to hold himself up to higher standards now, he felt it was necessary.<br/><br/><br/></p><p>
  <strong>May 13th, 20XX (Friday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Shujin Academy </strong>
</p><p>Almost a week had passed. Since then, things were on the quiet side. Kai hadn't been home since the voicemail he left, and Toya placed the blame for that on his shoulders. Osiris insisted that he shouldn't, but Toya couldn't help it. He couldn't shake the feeling in his heart, the guilt. Usually, he'd just talk to Osiris until he felt better, but that wasn't really working out for him. Luckily for him, he had a new method of getting these feelings off of his chest available to him as of earlier that day. With his hands in his pockets and a somber look on his face, he made his way to the nurse's office inside of the school. He knocked on the door once before slightly pushing it open, peeking inside.</p><p>"Come in!" A cheerful voice called out from inside, one that Toya had recognized. He took a deep breath before fully pushing the door open and walking into the room, coming face to face with the man who had called out earlier: Takuto Maruki. Earlier that day, he was introduced to the entire student body as a new therapist. "Oh! Toya, right?"</p><p>"...Yeah. I hope I'm not intruding on anything…"</p><p>"No, not at all. Please, have a seat." His charisma was almost obnoxious at times, especially to someone who wasn't exactly feeling well. Regardless of that, Toya took a seat near Maruki. "It's been about a month since the last time we spoke. How have you been since then?"</p><p>"Good… Until recently." Toya looked down and twiddled his thumbs. "Until about a week ago, specifically."</p><p>"I see… What happened that caused this?"</p><p>"It was a fight. Not a… physical one, mind you. And it was with… my brother."</p><p>"With Kai? About what?"</p><p>"It stemmed off of a disagreement. A… difference in morals, you could say. I did something that my morals justified… but he couldn't agree with it. He told me I shouldn't have done it. And then he…" He paused, concealing his eyes. "He brought up my father. Tried to say that he wouldn't agree with it either. And so, I kinda just… lost my temper."</p><p>"And so what happened?"</p><p>"I ended up… running off for the day. I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts for a while, so I went somewhere that… He wouldn't find me. I didn't intend to be gone until the next day, but… I ended up falling asleep there. When I woke up, I noticed that I got a voice mail from him. He said he wouldn't be home for a week or so… and that he was sorry. I've wanted to call him or something, but… I couldn't bring myself to do it. I wish I could just… talk to him about this kinda stuff."</p><p>"He'd be willing to talk about it if you asked to."</p><p>"I doubt that. He's a really busy guy. He probably doesn't even have the time for that stuff."</p><p>"Nonsense. He's your brother, isn't he?"</p><p>"My brother…"<br/><br/></p><hr/><p>
  <em>Toya: "...But I'm not a brother to you, am I? I'm just a mini Dad. That's all you've ever seen me as. You hated him, and hate me for being like him."</em>
</p><hr/><p><br/>"..." He couldn't come up with a more proper response than that. It wasn't even an answer. His mind just went… Blank.</p><p>"He's got that part right." A different voice came out from the door Toya had come through. He quickly turned his head and instinctively recoiled a bit.</p><p>"K-Kai!? When did you- H-How much of that did you hear!?"</p><p>"Enough of it." He slowly stepped forward and put his hand on Toya's shoulder. "What say we go talk about this over food? I got us some on the way here."</p><p>"I- But-"</p><p>"Sorry if he took up your time, Takuto. Don't worry, I'll take care of things from here."</p><p>"It's no problem at all. I'm glad to help!"</p><p>"Come on. Let's get going." Kai shook Toya's shoulder for a brief moment before walking out of the room. It took Toya a moment to process everything that had just happened before he got up and started walking out of the room.</p><p>"T-Thanks for the talk, Doctor!" He said in a confused voice before leaving the room, following Kai down the hallway to the exit. The two of them walked outside and slipped inside of Kai's car, with two bags of Big Bang Burger awaiting them.</p><p>"S-So, uh… H-How's that case going? The one you were talking about!" Toya nervously asked.</p><p>"Oh, that? It's… Uncertain. There are some similarities to other cases, but there's nothing concrete. If the police had any evidence on who the Phantom Thieves might be, then it'd be easier to get some information. But none of them have any leads."</p><p>"...Don't have any leads? Wait, didn't you take pictures of-"</p><p>"I burned those after you left."</p><p>"Y-You what!? I mean- Why'd you do that!?"</p><p>"Would you rather the police know that you're the one who did it?"</p><p>"Well no, but-"</p><p>"Then I don't have any regrets." Toya stared at Kai, eye contact not breaking for a second. Everything was happening way too quickly for him to really process what was going on. "Hey, so… I've been thinking about some of the things that you said."</p><p>"I'm… I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have said those things."</p><p>"But you were right. Everything you said about me was objectively right." Kai leaned back in his seat, staring up at the roof of the car. "Dad… He used to be a lot different. A lot worse. And back then… I hated him. I hated him with every fiber of my being. Hell, I ran away from home at one point."</p><p>"You ran away…?"</p><p>"Yeah. Got onto a train and didn't get off until the last stop. Next thing I knew, I was in some town in the middle of nowhere." He chuckled for a moment. "My teenage years were… Interesting. But that's not important right now. What's important is that… At some point, Dad changed. I think... it was around the time Mom died." The look on Kai's face changed. He looked happy for a moment, reminiscing about the life he once had. But the look of happiness was gone as he brought up his mother. "The two of them got caught in the middle of a shootout. I forget all of the little details, but… It was collateral damage. Dad was fine, but Mom… She got hit a lot. Even pushed Dad away so he wouldn't be the one to get hit. And as a result… She was done for. She got to the hospital alive, but… She didn't last very long there. She was dead by nightfall." The car got quiet. Toya couldn't possibly say anything to Kai at that point in time. "I'll never forget what I said to him when I got to the hospital. I told him… It was his fault. That he should have protected her. That I never wanted to see him again. That he shouldn't have let her <em>die</em> for… trash like him. It was the first time that I ever saw any amount of guilt in his eyes… But at the time, I didn't care. I didn't care that he felt bad, or that he was starting to become aware of the world around him. If anything… I was happy that he was sad."</p><p>"...So why'd you ever speak to him again?"</p><p>"I… I needed his help. It was about a case… One that I'm still looking into every day. One that… He got you roped into, in a way."</p><p>"Me…? How'd he get me involved?"</p><p>"I asked him to get someone else in on this. Someone who could fight, even if he had to train them himself. I figured… They'd need some combat experience for what we're up against." He slowly turned his head over to Toya. "He picked you."</p><p>"That… That checks out. He told me he had an important reason for training me. One that… could get me hurt. He never gave me all of the details. But I listened to him anyway. He gave me the option to quit, and I didn't listen."</p><p>"I didn't want to get you involved in this. I was hoping… He wouldn't pick you for the job. I even tried telling you that doing what you did to Kamoshida was dangerous in hopes that you would stray away from this, and never find out about the case."</p><p>"What does Kamoshida have to do with the case…?"</p><p>"It's… Well, I'll tell you when we get home. It's kind of a long story. Besides, the food's gonna get cold if we just sit here talking all day, right?"</p><p>"Y-Yeah, right." Toya had a lot to take in. Kai really dumped a lot onto his plate at once. It explained a lot… Kai's feelings for his father, specifically. He reached into the bag of food and pulled out a relatively small burger. "Seriously… They small burgers <em>this</em> small? It's barely even the size of my palm…"</p><p>"Maybe you'd rather have one of the challenge burgers? I heard that the first one's called the 'Comet Burger' or something. We'd have to show up there directly to do it though."</p><p>"Comet Burger…?" Toya grabbed onto his head and winced in pain.<br/><br/></p><hr/><p>"<em>Wait, you really think you can eat that ENTIRE thing?" </em></p><p>"<em>Yeah, easy! Watch and learn!" </em></p><hr/><p><br/>"Nngh…"</p><p>"Toya? What's wrong?"</p><p>"Huh? Oh, uh…" Toya shook his head for a moment, letting go of his forehead. "I-It's nothing, I'm fine! Let's just eat." He said, trying to remain as calm as possible.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>What </strong><em><strong>was </strong></em><strong>that? You definitely didn't seem 'fine' there.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"I… I don't know. I-I'm sure it was nothing. I'm probably just tired…"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Knowing you…? Yeah. Definitely.</strong>"</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>"What the heck is wrong with Kai? I would really like to know."</p><p>I did my best to explain that in this chapter. There's a loooot of baggage to unpack with him. Deep down, he really cares about Toya. He wants to do his best to protect him. This may or may not get him into trouble later on in the chapter on multiple different occasions. </p><p> </p><p>"The question is now: For WHAT was he trained for since that whole thing seems to been aimed at some kind of goal or thing.<br/>Street fights? Gang activities? Working for Shido/the Cleaner?"</p><p>I hinted at this a little bit in this chapter, but there will be a much more in depth explanation of it next chapter. </p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Explanation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>P4G came to Steam. It is a very fun game.</p><p>(I might've spent too much time playing it and that's why this chapter is even later than usual. Whoops.)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>May 13th, 20XX (Friday)<br/></strong>
  <strong>Evening - Kazero Household</strong>
</p><p>The two brothers finally returned to their home, slowly walking through the door. There was a lot on their minds, a lot that the two of them had to confess to. Neither of them were really sure <em>how</em> to start the conversation, but they both knew they had to.</p><p>"So…" Kai said, taking a deep breath and taking a seat on the couch, Toya sitting down next to him. "Let's just be open about this. How… Many of you are there?"</p><p>"How many of us? What do you mean?"</p><p>"Phantom Thieves. People who can change someone's heart. How many people can do that- that you know of?"</p><p>"There's 3 other people who can do it."</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Aren't there four of them?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"If you include a talking cat, yeah. I have no idea how to explain that though."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Fair enough.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>"But… There's… Something I need to tell you. About this whole… situation. What happened to Kamoshida, my involvement… Everything. It's not as clear cut as you probably think."</p><p>"Clear cut…? What is it?"</p><p>"Technically speaking… I'm <em>not</em> a Phantom Thief." The atmosphere itself came to a halt in the room. "Don't get me wrong- I can do the same things that they do. The whole heart changing process, and all of the dangers that come with it. I can do it, but… I'm not responsible for what happened to Kamoshida. I saw it happen, and I could have done it. But it was <em>them</em>."</p><p>"Well, that's… Interesting..." Kai had a curious look on his face as he leaned back, his back ever so slightly sinking into the couch. "Well… How well do you <em>know</em> these people? You know who they are, right? I assume they're also Shujin students."</p><p>"They are. Two of them are in my class, and they sit just in front of me. Actually, one of them is… the other transfer student." Toya struggled to say that. He wanted to be open with his brother, but he had to also realize that his brother was a cop. Telling him who one of the Phantom Thieves are… It could have drawbacks. He was very aware of that.</p><p>"You mean the one with the criminal record? Figures… But why'd he do it? I know you had an interest in Kamoshida, but I didn't know that he did, too."</p><p>"You remember when the girl jumped off the school rooftop, right? It was about a month ago."</p><p>"Yeah, I know about that. Why?"</p><p>"I did some snooping around that day… I saw him and one of his friends confront Kamoshida about it. They said he was responsible for the entire thing. Then… Kamoshida said he was gonna get them all expelled."</p><p>"And the change of heart made it so he wouldn't do that… Huh. Makes it sound like revenge when you put it like that."</p><p>"Revenge…"</p><hr/><p><em>Ann: "You took </em> <em> <strong>EVERYTHING </strong> </em> <em>from them!"</em></p><p>
  <em>Ryuji: "ANN!"</em>
</p><hr/><p>"...Yeah. Revenge is a good way to put it. As far as I can tell… Everyone besides the transfer student has personal beef with Kamoshida."</p><p>"That makes me question the morality of their actions a bit more."</p><p>"Me too… but I don't think they're inherently bad because of that, right?"</p><p>"That's fair. It's still concerning, though. Only way we can really figure out what kind of people they are is to watch what happens. But as far as I'm concerned, they haven't done any bed- not yet, at least."</p><p>"Yeah. They're… They're probably okay. I think."</p><p>"There's something I want to know- or rather, something I need to confirm. How exactly is it done? Changing someone's heart, I mean."</p><p>"Well, uh…" Toya blanked. How was he possibly going to explain all of that? Another world he accessed through an app on his phone. Monsters in a variety of shapes and sizes. Demonic figures summoned from one's soul. How could anyone <em>possibly</em> explain that?</p><p>"...How much does cognition have to do with it?"</p><p>"Cogni-" Toya recalled back to all the times he listened in on the Phantom Thieves, eavesdropping on their conversations. He even remembered something from Kamoshida's Castle specifically.</p><hr/><p>
  <em>Ren: "If we could get rid of her, he wouldn't be able to do that anymore. That's just a cognitive one, so attacking it shouldn't leave an effect on the real one…"</em>
</p><hr/><p>"I think so… I mean, I've heard them talking about cognition a lot. But I have no idea what it means… so how did you know?"</p><p>"Well… I guess it's about time I told you this story. This all started about 2 years ago. Have you ever heard of a woman named Wakaba Isshiki?"</p><p>"No, I haven't. Who is she?"</p><p>"Figures you don't know her. She was a researcher, and she studied something very specific- something that barely anyone actually cares about anymore. Or at least… nobody <em>publicly</em> talks about it much. It's called cognitive psience. Her research concluded that there was another world- a world made entirely of cognition. At least, that's the basics of it. But the specifics of it… well, I don't fully know them, to be completely honest. But… You can do some pretty bad things with it. You can change someone's heart, sure… but you can also kill someone with it, without leaving <em>any</em> evidence at all. Their brain just… shuts down, effectively stopping all of their bodily processes and inevitably killing them."</p><p>"That's…" Toya felt his stomach churning at the thought of it. Murdering someone by shutting down their brain? He could never imagine doing that to someone, he couldn't even picture what it would look like. Another thought crossed his mind for a moment, but he quickly dismissed it, trying to stay focused on the conversation at hand. "Another world, based entirely on cognition… Is <em>that</em> what that is…?"</p><p>"So it's true? There really is another <em>world?</em>"</p><p>"Yeah. That part is entirely true. And it's… a dangerous world, to say the very least. I can't even describe most of the things that I've seen there. But… I can say for sure that it's a real thing. That's what the Phantom Thieves used to change Kamoshida's heart."</p><p>"...To be honest, I don't know how to feel. Part of me is relieved that I've been right… but another part of me is terrified at the fact that a place like that exists."</p><p>"How do you know about it? You're talking like you've never been there, so I know that's not it… So <em>how</em>?"</p><p>"Wakaba Isshiki, the woman who researched it. One day, her research was stolen. Everything she had on the cognitive world was gone. Days later, she died, and her death was officially ruled as a suicide."</p><p>"But you don't think that's true?"</p><p>"I <em>know</em> it's not. There's no way she would do that. For god's sake, she had a daughter. No mother would just… give up on a life like that over some stolen research. It makes no sense."</p><p>"And the people who killed her… They did it with her research, right?"</p><p>"Yeah. It <em>has</em> to be them. And she's not the only one who's died because of it. Probably around a hundred different people at this point… And we have no evidence on who it could possibly be. Not even a shred of it. That's why… I need you to make sure you don't get too involved with the Phantom Thieves. Those three, and anyone else who may join them down the road… I need you to promise me that you're not going to join them."</p><p>"There's no way <em>they're</em> responsible for this!"</p><p>"<em>We</em> know that. But the police don't, Toya. And there's no way we can just tell them that. They're going to believe exactly what they want to believe- what they can take at face value. And the thing that they can absolutely take at face value with the Phantom Thieves… Is that they are a very dangerous group inherently. They're vigilantes. And they can force someone's heart to change. That's all the general public knows about them."</p><p>"Yeah, but…"</p><p>"Please. You can be friends with them all you want in this world, but you <em>can't</em> associate with them in that other world. You can't be a Phantom Thief with them. It's too risky. I can't stop the cops from going after you if something were to happen."</p><p>"...Alright. Alright, fine. I get it." He understood, but it kind of annoyed him. Not that Kai was telling him not to, but the fact that it was true. He just didn't want to believe it, but he did. "I'm getting tired. I should get to bed…"</p><p>"One more thing. There's something I want you to do tomorrow after school."</p><p>"Huh? What is it?"</p><p>"I want you to take me there. The cognitive world. You can do that, can't you?"</p><p>"Y-You're insane if you think that's a good idea! That place is dangerous as hell!"</p><p>"I just wanna see it. I won't get near anything dangerous at all. You're the one who can fight, not me. But I want to see it. I feel like… It'd be good for me to see it."</p><p>"You're insane… But fine. I'll show you around tomorrow, after school."</p><p>"That's fine. I'll pick you up when classes end." Toya nodded at Kai before getting up walking upstairs towards his room.</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>That was surely something.</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"That was way too much information for me to handle all at once. But… It was informative as hell."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>That entire world is based off of cognition, and someone is using it to murder people. Not to mention, your brother has been following this case of murders for presumably 2 years now. That about sums it up, right?</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Yeah. But Now I have so many other questions…"</span> Toya laid down, his head pressed against his pillow but his eyes still open. <span class="u">"How much of this did my dad know? And… If he knew everything, then is this why he trained me? Did he intend for me to know about all of this?"</span></p><p>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Perhaps. You should ask your brother. If anyone knows about this situation, it's going to be him. That much is guaranteed.</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u">"Yeah… Yeah, I'll ask him some other time. I'm just gonna sleep for tonight…"</span> He closed his eyes. He didn't do anything physically, but mentally… He was exhausted. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, not letting his mind wander off anywhere else. He couldn't handle anything more for the night.</p><p>
  <strong>May 14th, 20XX (Saturday)<br/></strong>
  <strong>After School - Shibuya</strong>
</p><p>As promised, Kai had picked Toya up from school the moment it was over. The two leaned against a wall outside the Shibuya subway station, Kai gazing up at the sky and Toya gazing down at his phone, the two of them standing right next to each other.</p><p>"Well? Where do we go now?" Kai asked, looking over at his brother. "You said we just needed to come here to enter the cognitive world, but you've just been on your phone. What is it you're doing?"</p><p>"I'm bringing us there." Toya said, clasping his phone with the Nav app open. He looked over to his brother with a worried look on his face. "You're sure you wanna go?"</p><p>"Of course. Come on, let's get moving." Kai slowly walked forward, but before he could go far, he felt a powerful headache. He gripped his head in pain and closed his eyes, before…</p><p>
  <strong>May 14th, 20XX (Saturday)<br/></strong>
  <strong>After School - Mementos</strong>
</p><p>...His entire environment changed. Everything had a slight red tint to it, and the ground he walked on felt light. It was like nothing he had ever seen before.</p><p>"What is this…?"</p><p>"It's where you wanted to go. The cognitive world." Kai quickly turned around to see Toya's calm face. "It's a lot to take in at first, I know. But you get used to it at some point.</p><p>"Feels like I'm gonna fall through the floor… <em>This</em> is where you were going that entire break?"</p><p>"Yeah. Well… Everything I did was down there." He walked towards the entrance to the subway station, staring down into it. Kai slowly followed him, staring into the suffocating darkness of the underground. Something about it felt… off. It had a corrupted feel coming from it.</p><p>"What's down there…?"</p><p>"The danger I was warning you about. Monsters, some big, some small. Some… terrifying." Toya turned his head and looked at Kai. "You really shouldn't go down there. That place is… It's dangerous."</p><p>"What's your experience with the monsters? Have you tried fighting them, or something?"</p><p>"That's what I spent my time doing mostly. It has a thrill to it. I can't really explain it much better than that, but I've always enjoyed doing it."</p><p>"...You're one weird kid, you know that?"</p><p>"...I get that a lot."</p><p>"How did we even get here, anyways? One second, we were in the city… The next, we're here. How'd you do it?"</p><p>"What, did you think I was on my phone for nothing?" He held his phone in his hand and waved it around. "It's an app."</p><p>"Where the hell did you find an app that does <em>this</em>?"</p><p>"The first time I was ever here, I got dragged in on accident by the Phantom Thieves. I accidentally slipped out of it, too. But later that day, when I checked my phone… This app was there. It still confuses me, but I don't ask about it anymore." Toya paused for a moment. "...Now that I think about it, you might have it too once we get out of here…"</p><p>"So I can come here whenever?"</p><p>"Yeah. But I don't think you can change anyone's heart- not here, at least. I don't think this place… <em>belongs</em> to anyone."</p><p>"Belongs? What do you mean?"</p><p>"The Phantom Thieves didn't come <em>here</em> to change Kamoshida's heart. They entered his name into that app, and got themselves into a castle owned by him. But with his heart being changed, the castle is gone."</p><p>"I see… But there are more places like that then? More cognitive places specifically owned by someone?"</p><p>"Not that I know of, but… I think anyone who's messed up in the head can probably get one. That makes the most sense to me."</p><p>"I see… So theoretically, if I entered someone's name into this… I could figure out if someone's heart can be changed the same way Kamoshida's was?"</p><p>"Yeah. I think there are a few more steps to it than that, but you could probably figure out if someone is messed up in the head like that. Why?"</p><p>"...I'm gonna look into a few people on my own time. Theoretically speaking, if I found someone like that… could you change their heart?"</p><p>"Theoretically, yeah. But… It's hard. And I don't have any teammates, or anything like that. I probably can't do it <em>all</em> on my own."</p><p>"I see… Well, I'll keep the thought in the back of my mind. Anyways- let's get out of here for now. I have some things I need to look into."</p><p>"Sure. We can get out with the app the same way we got in."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>"Wonder what the flashback was about... could it be from the original story? A memory of another timeline?"</p><p>It's something I alluded to once in a previous chapter. That won't be the last time you see something like that. I imagine people will be able to figure out what it is later on, but it's meant to be confusing for now. In time, everything will make sense.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Discovery</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>May 29th, 20XX (Sunday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Afternoon - Kazero Household</strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><div>
  <p>Weeks passed, and things were relatively quiet on all fronts. Exam week had come and passed, with Toya’s grades only being a bit lower than he’d personally prefer. With all of the action in his world surrounding him, this didn’t actually bother him much.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>Toya resented the fact that he only had one day off from school a week. Because of this, he spent his sunday mornings doing one of the only things he was good at… Sleeping. It was getting to the point that ‘good’ was becoming a subjective description for it.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Hey! Time to wake up!” He could hear his brothers’ voice calling out to him. Admittedly, it wasn’t distant. Toya was already half-awake, but he was just as much asleep.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“No…"<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“...It’s 3 in the afternoon. How the hell are you even asleep still?"<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <strong> <span class="u">“He brings up a valid point.”</span><br/><br/></strong>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p><span class="u">“Shut up…”</span> Toya yawned before slowly sitting up in his bed.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Seriously, how is it physically possible for you to sleep that much? You’d be getting out of school by now!”<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“I could sleep for longer…”<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Well, don’t. Something important is happening.”<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“What could possibly be more important…?”<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“The Phantom Thieves just sent their next calling card.”<br/><br/></p>
</div><p>“...Wait, what?” Toya had to relay what Kai just told him in his head. “T-To who!?”<br/><br/></p><p>“A famous artist. Here, read it. I got called in to the scene earlier.” He pulled a red calling card out of his pocket and tossed it towards Toya’s direction. Toya instantly recognized that it looked a bit different than last time. It looked like a real artist had put their time into making it, rather than one of the previous members. Toya considered the possibility of them recruiting a new member entirely, but there was no way to be sure just yet.<br/><br/></p><p></p><div>
  <p>“Sir Ichiryusai Madarame, a great sinner of vanity whose talent has been exhausted. You are an artist who uses his authority to shamelessly steal the ideas of his pupils. We have decided to make you confess all your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail. From, the Phantom Thieves.” Toya put the calling card down and processed it in his mind. They definitely had someone new working with them. Between the new logo, and the way it was worded… It wasn’t something anyone that was previously on the team could manage.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“I entered Madarame’s name into that app--the one I got when you brought me into the Metaverse with you. It got a hit.”<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“So this is legit, then…” Toya got up and stretched his arms and legs, putting the calling card down on his bed. “What about the other keywords?”<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Since he’s a famous artist, it wasn’t hard to guess that ‘museum’ was one of his words. As for the last one… It took some research, but it’s ‘shack’.”<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Shack? He lives in a shack?”<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <strong> <span class="u">“You’d think a famous artist can afford something a bit more luxurious than that.”</span><br/><br/></strong>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Anyways, let’s not waste time. I woke you up because I want you to follow them in there. You’re a hell of a lot more capable than I am when it comes to this stuff, otherwise I’d do it myself.”<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Yeah, I hear you. I’ll go check it out and make sure they don’t do anything crazy, but I need you to stay outside in case I need to get out. They don’t know that I have access to the Metaverse yet, and I’d like to keep it that way.”<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Right. I’ll just wait in the car. Staying right outside of the shack would be suspicious, so I’ll have to park a few blocks away. You’ll have to make a run for it if it comes down to it.”<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Alright. Come on, we shouldn’t waste anymore time. It might not take them long to bring Madarame down.” Toya walked towards his bag that was on the other side of the room, reaching into it and pulling his bandana out. He tied it around his neck and let it fall down to his collarbone, ready to pull it up for later.</p>
</div><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><div>
  <p>
    <strong>May 29th, 20XX (Sunday)</strong>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <strong>Afternoon - Madarame’s Museum (Museum Entrance)</strong>
  </p>
</div><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><div>
  <p>A long line of people waiting to get inside of a golden, grandiose museum. That was the first thing that Toya noticed when he had slipped into the world. It wasn’t just the museum that was over the top, though. Everything around him seemed so fancy, so expensive… unnecessarily so. The only exception to this were a few cars parked around the museum, presumably used by the people waiting in line.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <span class="u">“This world is… Madarame’s cognition, right? Then is this… how he sees the world around him?”<br/><br/></span>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <strong> <span class="u">“A world where everything revolving around him is grand and beautiful, while the standard citizens of the country can only hope to get even a glimpse of the inside. How very human of him…”</span><br/><br/></strong>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p><span class="u">“I imagine there are going to be guards everywhere. Need to be careful- of both the guards and the Phantom Thieves.”</span> Toya pulled his bandana up to cover his face and looked towards the massive crowd. There was no way he was going to just slip through them without getting noticed by a guard. He looked around for a moment before he saw a truck he could use as a stepping stone to climb up a wall. He quickly did so, jumping down and moving into a small hedge maze to his right. Well, it wasn’t much of a ‘maze’. He simply went through it and jumped across platforms until he found himself on the roof of the museum, where he saw an open skylight.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <strong> <span class="u">“I assume this is how they were able to sneak in without being noticed.”<br/><br/></span></strong>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p><span class="u">“Looks like it. Guess I’m going in too.”</span> He fit hit legs into the skylight and fell down into it, landing inside of the museum. And, just as he expected, the inside was just as ridiculous as the outside. There were paintings scattered all over the walls, with golden borders around them. However, that’s not what caught his attention. Instead, it was the faint sound of static. He turned his head and saw two lasers blocking the entrance into the next room. He slowly walked towards it, bending his knees and taking a close look at it.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <strong> <span class="u">“So, what do you think? Are they deadly lasers that’ll slice through you, or just some security measures?”<br/><br/></span></strong>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p><span class="u">“No point in taking the risk.”</span> He got down and slid underneath the lasers, getting back up and scanning the room. He saw a nearby security guard walking around, his back turned from Toya. He took an arrow out of his quiver and materialized his bow in his hands, taking aim at the guard and firing. It was a direct hit, and nearly killed the guard on impact. But before he turned to mist, he started falling down to his knees… directly into a nearby laser. As he made contact with it, an alarm blared throughout the room. <span class="u">“Oh, come on! What kinda luck is that!?”<br/><br/></span></p>
</div><div>
  <p><strong>“Eliminate the intruder! Don’t let any hazards to Lord Madarame live!”</strong> Three guards came rushing over before transforming into monsters. The one on the left and right had turned into the same thing--monstrous but small corpses of japanese birds that seemed to have the faces of a man. The one in the middle, however, was completely different, and compared to the other two, completely terrifying. It was twice as big as Toya was, having the head of a monkey, the legs of a tiger, and the tail of a snake.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Damn it, fine! Show yourself, Ya-” Just as Toya was about to summon his Persona, the massive monster in the middle raised its claw into the air, trying to crush him with it. Without thinking, Toya jumped back to avoid the attack. The impact that the attack made on the ground was astonishing… terrifying, even. To say that it would have hurt would be a grave understatement. Toya would be lucky to survive an attack like that. He grit his teeth before ripping his mask off of his face, not wasting even a second. “Try to block this!” He yelled out as Yama shot out three blasts of dark magic, spread out across all three of the monsters. The corpse birds were able to simply fly away from the blast without getting hit. The chimera, on the other hand, was completely unaffected.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <span class="u"> <strong>“They blocked it.”<br/><br/></strong></span>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p><span class="u">“Gee, thanks for the help! Really appreciate everything you’re doing, Osiris!”</span> The corpse birds twitched around in the air for a moment, before both shooting fireballs out of their mouths. Toya raised his arms and guarded his face as the fire made impact, crashing against him and pushing him back into the wall.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <span class="u">“You’re not going to get anything done with those two corpse birds attacking you. The chimera is big and strong, but it’s slow. Dodge an attack and shift focus to those two.”<br/><br/></span>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <span class="u">“How am I supposed to hit those things when they can just fly!?”<br/><br/></span>
  </p>
</div><p><span class="u"><strong>“You see how they twitch within the air before they attack? That’s your opening. It’s a small window, but you need to make the most of it. They look weak, so your bow should be more than enough to take them down.”</strong></span> Toya nodded his head. It was a dangerous plan, but it could work. He waited for a moment, until the chimera tried to attack him once again, trying to slam down on him just like before. But then, Toya got an idea- a way to improvise on Osiris’s plan without jeopardizing his chance of success. While the chimera’s claw was still above him, Toya quickly took aim and fired an arrow straight through it. The arrow pierced straight through the chimera’s entire paw, causing it to roar in pain and stumble, losing its balance and falling down onto its back.<br/><br/></p><p>The chimera collapsing caught the corpse birds off guard, prompting them to attack in retaliation. Once again, in perfect synchronization with each other, they began twitching, preparing yet another attack.<br/><br/></p><p></p><div>
  <p>“Not this time!” Toya quickly took out another arrow and fired at one of the birds, easily taking it down with a shot through the skull. The other bird stopped its attack as soon as it saw the first one die. Toya unmasked once again, having Yama charge up a blast of dark magic and unleash it directly at the bird. Just like the first time, the bird flew straight up to dodge, but that’s exactly what Toya wanted. As soon as the bird began to dodge, Toya fired an arrow just above it. Without realizing, the bird flew straight into it. Just like the first bird, the second one died with just one single arrow through its head.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>Toya turned around and saw the chimera again. It was still trying to get up, but it had a tough time carrying its own weight.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“How about a taste of your own medicine?” Taking his mask off one more time, Toya had Yama lift his arm far into the air. He smirked and turned around, raising his hand into the air. “Mission accomplished.” He said, just before snapping his fingers. As soon as he did, Yama’s hand came crashing down onto the chimera’s head. The force from it was more than enough to put it out of its misery.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <span class="u"> <strong>“Always a show off…”</strong><br/><br/></span>
  </p>
</div><p>
  <span class="u">“Come on, it’s been weeks since I’ve gotten to do this stuff! I gotta have some fun with it!”<br/><br/></span>
</p><p></p><div>
  <p>
    <strong> <span class="u">“Yeah, yeah… Just get on with it, will you? We’re on a schedule, you know.”</span><br/><br/></strong>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p><span class="u">“I know, I know.”</span> Toya cracked his knuckles and moved onward through the museum. He could only hope that he wasn’t going to get into more fights along the way, but there was no guarantee in a world like this.</p>
</div><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><div>
  <p>
    <strong>May 29th, 20XX (Sunday)</strong>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <strong>After School - Madarame’s Museum (Central Garden)</strong>
  </p>
</div><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><div>
  <p><strong>“I’m the great artist, Madarame! If you brats can’t fathom that… Then you’ll witness it for yourselves! Behold my master craft!”</strong> There it was. As soon as Toya entered the room, he heard the echoey voice of Madarame, which was soon followed by other sounds of screaming and spell-casts. He was finally getting close. The Phantom Thieves weren’t far away from him at all at this point. He followed the sounds, and soon enough, he was there. He found himself just behind the vigilante group behind what happened to Kamoshida. He also saw Madarame… Actually, he saw 5 of him.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p><span class="u">“...There are actually 5 of him, right? I’m not going crazy, am I?”</span> He asked, before a fireball found its way against the head of one of the Madarame’s, which was happening to wear blue and was surrounded by ice.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <span class="u"> <strong>“Make that 4. So he can make clones of himself? That’s… unique.”<br/><br/></strong></span>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p><span class="u">“Yeah, that’s one way to put it. I’m glad I don’t have to deal with it.”</span> Toya looked around before hiding behind some nearby bushes. He had to crouch down to hide himself entirely, but it still worked, which was all that actually mattered in this case.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p><strong><span class="u">“They don’t seem to be having any trouble.”</span></strong> Osiris was right. The Phantom Thieves were able to deal with Madarame and all of his clones quite easily, much to his surprise. But that’s when he saw it. Fighting alongside the four Phantom Thieves that he knew, there was someone else--someone new. He was taller than the rest and had blue hair. He seemed to be wearing a more traditional japanese-style outfit, but that was more likely due to the Metaverse changing someone’s appearance rather than it being what he normally wears. This was made even more obvious with the katana he held behind his back.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“So this is the true limit of your skill… How infantile. To think you’d fail to produce even one of your counterfeits--please, don’t disappoint me any further!” The fight raged on. This new person, the one with blue hair and a fox mask that Toya could now get a glimpse of… He was angry. Furious, even. He had some kind of a personal connection with Madarame, but Toya couldn’t begin to guess what it was.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>The fight raged on, but it was over pretty quickly. Madarame, despite his clones, was weak. His weaknesses were easily exploitable as well. Within minutes, Madarame was on the ground. For all intents and purposes, the fight was over.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p><strong>“No one cares for true art... All they want are easily recognizable brands! I’m a victim in this too! Wouldn’t you agree!?” </strong>Madarame was crawling away on his back, a look of terror in his eyes and a portrait in his hands that Toya couldn’t get a good look at. <strong>“The art world revolves around money after all... You can’t rise up without any money... Yusuke, you understand, don’t you!? Being a poor artist is truly miserable! I just didn’t want to return to that life!”<br/><br/></strong></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“A fiend like you has no right to speak about the world of art!” Yusuke grabbed Madarame by the robe he was wearing. “You’re done for—along with this whole wretched world!” Madarame shrieked. He looked pathetic at this point.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p><strong>“No, please! Just... don’t kill me!” </strong>Upon hearing those words, Toya immediately pulled an arrow out, readying his bow. He wasn’t going to fire yet, but he needed to be ready to.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Return to yourself in reality and confess your crimes—all of them!”<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <strong>“Y-You’re not going to kill me?”<br/><br/></strong>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Swear it!”<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p><strong>“All right... All right!” </strong>Madarame was still panicking. <strong>“Wh-What about the other one though? The one with the black mask?”<br/><br/></strong></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Hm?” Yusuke was confused. He had no idea someone with a black mask even existed. Madarame scanned the room, before freezing in place. His eyes found Toya. His black mask, crouched behind the bushes. Hiding in plain sight.<br/><br/></p>
</div><div>
  <p>His face went pale. He couldn’t even utter out a word. Sweat dripped down his face as he raised a shaky finger, pointing towards what he saw. The Phantom Thieves turned around, and they saw him.</p>
</div><p><br/>For the first time in that world, they all looked at each other. The Phantom Thieves... As well as the black masked individual that Madarame was terrified of.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And so they meet. Under some... interesting circumstances.</p><p>“His brother doesn’t even question the outfit, now thats interesting, its usually the first new people (besides yusuke) wonder about.”</p><p>This is easy to get confused about, but the explanation is even easier to understand. Long story short, Kai never saw the outfit. When the PTs first enter Mementos, they don’t get their outfits until they actually enter the subway station. Since the two of them never went down and just stayed outside, there was no outfit for him to see.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chase</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>May 29th, 20XX (Sunday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Madarame's Museum (Central Garden)<br/></strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Time was at a complete halt. The tension was higher than it had ever been within the Metaverse before. Everyone was confused-scared, even. None of them knew what to do. They could only stare, lost within their thoughts and the deafening silence that flooded the atmosphere.</p><p><br/>The Phantom Thieves had confirmed a suspicion they had since they changed Kamoshida's heart. There really <em>was</em> someone else in the Metaverse with them. Not only that, but this was the same person. They could visibly see the black bow in his hands, and the purple end of an arrow being drawn.</p><p><br/>Regardless of the fact that they were correct, they weren't relieved. If anything, it was the exact opposite-they were even <em>more </em>scared now than they were previously. Now they had undeniable proof that someone else was with them. But they didn't have any idea how dangerous he was. Madarame implied that he was a killer. That he was going to murder Madarame as soon as he got the chance. That, combined with the fact that his bow was drawn… They had a reason to believe him.</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"<strong>Well isn't </strong><em><strong>this </strong></em><strong>something?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"Y-Yeah… Yeah, it's something…" Toya was just as scared as the rest. How could he <em>possibly</em> explain himself? In truth, he didn't think it was possible. He didn't even want to risk trying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"<strong>Any ideas to get out of this one?</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u"><br/>"...Yeah, actually. I have one…"</span> Toya looked directly at the Phantom Thieves. They were pretty close together, but there was still a bit of space in between them. That was his target. A space where, if he were to fire an arrow, nobody would get hurt. But he only had one shot. Not to mention- after firing said shot, he would barely have any time at all. They all had weapons- and Personas. <span class="u">"Here goes…!"</span> He didn't have the time to brace himself. With his bow already drawn and his eyes locked onto the target space, he let the arrow fly out. Every member of the Phantom Thieves recoiled at the sudden shot, quickly jumping back. None of them were in danger in the first place, but their bodies still instinctively moved anyways. There was a good amount of space between them and Toya now. That was the opening he needed.</p><p><br/>Without a second though, he turned tail and started running. Through the garden and back the way he came, he tried to make his escape. He didn't trust his ability to convince them. Everything looked too… bad.</p><p><br/>"What the-get back here, damn it!" He heard someone yell in a rage, along with the sound of footsteps. Someone was charging after him. Based on the anger in the anger in his voice, Toya could tell that it was Ryuji chasing him.</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"<strong>Your only plan was to run!?</strong>"</span>
</p><p><span class="u"><br/>"Can we maybe have this discussion LATER?"</span> Toya pushed away his thoughts. He had to focus on getting away from Ryuji, and everyone else who would inevitably be coming after him. But Ryuji was fast. Toya might have had a head start, but he wasn't confident he'd stay in the lead forever.</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"<strong>Stop him in his tracks! You have range, don't you!?</strong>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"I-I don't wanna hurt them! What if they—"</span>
</p><p><span class="u"><br/>"<strong>IT'S YOU OR THEM!</strong>"</span> Toya didn't want to accept that, even though he knew it was true deep down. There was no going back if he did it, but he had to. He reluctantly materialized his bow in his hands and drew an arrow, jumping forward and turning around. He had no time to aim at any specific part of Ryuji's body, he just had to let the arrow fly. He let go and shot the arrow out into the air, turning back around and starting to run.</p><p><br/>"AGH!" He heard Ryuji cry out in anguish. A sharp pain pierced through Toya's heart- purely guilt. But he didn't have time. Even if he tried to make things better at this point, Osiris would force him to continue on without delay. He had to accept that.</p><p><br/>He dashed through the halls as fast as he could. He was feeling mostly comfortable for the entire time, but the comfort soon faded and turned into unease when he heard something behind him.</p><p><br/>"Skull!" He heard Ann yell. They were gaining on him much faster than he expected. He definitely thought Ryuji would be the fastest of the bunch. As soon as he tried to figure out why this was, he heard something. It almost sounded like… a car horn. He reluctantly turned his head, only to see a massive black van chasing after him- he was even able to get a glimpse through the window and see Ren driving it, and Yusuke in the passenger's seat.</p><p><span class="u"><br/>"WHERE THE HELL DID THEY GET THAT?"</span> He tried his best not to panic. Adrenaline was still taking full control over his body, even his mind to an extent. He couldn't stop to think about anything else- only his escape route. But with a van following him, getting through wasn't anywhere near as easy.</p><p><br/>But he had an idea. He wasn't faster than the van. He knew very well he wasn't, and he had already accepted that. But he had one advantage over it, there was one thing he could do that the van couldn't. He could jump. He could get over small gaps-or more importantly in this case, debris. He looked up to the ceiling. It was vulnerable, but he needed a lot more firepower than an arrow. He grabbed his mask, taking a deep breath before tearing it off of his face.</p><p><br/>"<em>Persona!" </em>He had to talk in an obscured voice. He knew that they could recognize his voice, so he had to make sure not to talk as normally as he otherwise would. He raised his hand towards the ceiling and stared directly at it. He didn't verbalize what he was going to do, but he was still able to command his Persona without that. Without hesitation, a blast of dark magic was fired at the ceiling just ahead of Toya.</p><p><br/>As the blast collided with the ceiling, cracks began to form, and dust began to fall. Moments later, bits began to fall from it onto the ground. Bits eventually turned into large chunks, and before he knew it, an entire section of the ceiling was falling, just as Toya intended. He was able to get by it without trouble, but the Phantom Thieves couldn't. They had to stop in their tracks, being unable to go over the roadblock within the truck.</p><p><br/>"I'm going ahead." Ren said, climbing over the debris.</p><p><br/>"J-Joker!?" Yusuke tried to figure out what his plan was, but Ren was already going past him. He spun around on top of the debris, shooting his grappling hook from out of his sleeve. He couldn't quite reach Toya with it, but he could get close enough for him to notice. Toya saw the hook lodge itself into the ground, and saw Ren zipping through the air and landing where it was.</p><p><span class="u"><br/>"Oh, give me a break! That is SO not fair!"</span> Toya grit his teeth and tried his best to speed up. He was getting close to the exit now, he was nearly at the room filled to the brim with security lasers at this point. He just needed to go a little further.</p><p><br/>"Arsene!" Ren pulled off his mask and cried out Arsene's name. Toya could see a green aura around him… and felt himself slow down. It wasn't significant, but it was noticeable. He definitely wouldn't be able to outrun Ren at this speed. He heard the sound of a hook piercing the ground next to him once more. His eyes followed the rope attached to it and saw Ren flying towards him.</p><p><span class="u"><br/>"I can't believe I'm about to do this…"</span> Toya took a breath and closed his eyes, before suddenly slamming one foot into the ground. <span class="u">"Now!"</span> He clenched his fists tightly, pivoting around with the foot planted into the ground and swinging his arm around with all of his strength, directly where Ren would be. He didn't look, but he felt it. He felt his fist collide against Ren's coat. It was a direct hit-right against his chest. The punch itself knocked Ren back through the air. Toya's entire arm was in pain from the punch, but he had to keep moving. He grabbed onto his arm with his free hand and kept running, never looking back.</p><p><br/>"Joker!" Everyone called out as they closed in on his position, seeing him on the floor. He was fine, but they were too late. The person they were after was gone. They picked Ren up and got him on his feet again. They weren't too badly hurt, but they lost. Toya got away without ever giving a hint of his identity.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong><br/>May 29th, 20XX (Sunday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Madarame's Shack </strong>
</p><p> </p><p><br/>Now that he was finally in the real world again, Toya had to run a couple more blocks away until he finally made it to Kai's car. He quickly opened the door, slamming it shut behind him and taking a deep breath.</p><p><br/>"How'd it go-"</p><p><br/>"Talk later! We need to get out of here before they come after me!"</p><p><br/>"They…? Wait, do you mean-"</p><p><br/>"Just go!"</p><p><br/>"Alright, alright!" Kai didn't hesitate and further, beginning to drive away, getting both him and his brother out of there before anyone could see them.</p><p><br/>"God…" The adrenaline was finally beginning to fade in Toya's body, and he could feel it taking its toll on him.</p><p><br/>"What the hell happened in there? You look like you can barely even walk!"</p><p><br/>"Yeah… I don't actually know if I can right now." Toya grabbed his arm again. It was still sore from putting so much force into it earlier. He might have gotten out, but he didn't feel like he <em>won</em>. He was really hurt, and barely even conscious. "I just… need a minute. Maybe two. Maybe…" He rested his head against his window and closed his eyes. Osiris couldn't even get on his case for how quickly Toya was passing out. Everything that just happened was… Intense, to say the very least. He couldn't possibly stay awake and explain everything that had just happened to his brother. He just rested his eyes until he fell asleep in the car.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong><br/>May 29th, 20XX (Sunday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Evening - Leblanc</strong>
</p><p> </p><p><br/>YUSUKE: Allow me to express my thanks once again.</p><p>YUSUKE: Because of you, I was able to retrieve the painting that had been filled with my mother's love.</p><p>RYUJI: Hearing you say that makes the whole thing worth it, Yusuke!</p><p>ANN: Seriously.</p><p>ANN: I wasn't sure you'd really want to change Madarame's heart.</p><p>YUSUKE: I'm sorry to have worried you. I have no regrets about it now.</p><p>ANN: And the change of heart WILL happen this time, right?</p><p>REN: It'll be fine.</p><p>RYUJI: Yeah. We did it just like with Kamoshida.</p><p>ANN: That reminds me… About that guy we saw at the end.</p><p>RYUJI: I can't believe that piece of shit shot an arrow at me! And at my bad leg, too!<br/><br/></p><p>"Wait…" Morgana said, catching Ren's attention. He had a shocked look on his face… Or well, as close to shocked as you can get with the face of a cat. "How did he know to aim for Ryuji's bad leg…?" Ren froze up.</p><p><br/>"That's…" He put his attention back to his phone, quickly typing to the group chat.<br/><br/></p><p>REN: How did he know to aim for it?</p><p>RYUJI: Huh? Whaddya mean?</p><p>REN: He aimed for your bad leg.</p><p>REN: How did he know you have a bad leg to begin with.</p><p>RYUJI: ...Dude… Are you sayin' what I think you're sayin'…!?</p><p>ANN: You think he knows who we are…?</p><p>YUSUKE: He must have a decent idea of who you are if he was able to pinpoint Ryuji's weak spot like that.</p><p>RYUJI: So this guy's known who we are!?</p><p>RYUJI: If it's the same guy who was there when we took down Kamoshida…</p><p>REN: He might go to Shujin.</p><p>ANN: Yeah, but <em>who?</em> We still have no idea <em>who</em> he is.</p><p>YUSUKE: Furthermore, if he <em>was</em> there during your last mission against Kamoshida, perhaps he noticed Ryuji had a bad leg there?</p><p>RYUJI: Well… There was that time my leg twisted up and I tripped while we were trying to get out…</p><p>RYUJI: Nah, there's no way he could have seen that!</p><p>RYUJI: ...Could he…?</p><p>REN: We can't be sure until later.</p><p>YUSUKE: I agree. For now, we should wait for Madarame's change of heart in peace.</p><p>YUSUKE: Our information is too limited.</p><p>ANN: OK.</p><p>RYUJI: Yeah… Alright.<br/><br/></p><p>Ren put his phone down. He was still feeling uneasy… Like he was missing something. He couldn't quite put his hands on it, but it felt like something was really wrong. Almost as if he was missing something… But he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He laid down. He wanted to sleep early… Maybe some good rest would give him ideas. At least, that was his hope.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong><br/>May 29th, 20XX (Sunday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Midnight - The Velvet Room</strong>
</p><p> </p><p><br/>It felt like only seconds passed after Ren closed his eyes. A considerable amount of time had passed though. Not only that, but he was somewhere completely different now. He felt the weight of his clothes change, as well as the entire atmosphere around him. He was somewhere completely different now. The Velvet Room… The prison manifested inside of his heart. As always, he was summoned here by the master of the room. He got up on his feet and walked towards the iron bars blocking his path, staring ahead at the long-nosed man who sat at his desk.</p><p><br/>"You have expelled one who was stained in vanity. You are now one step closer to your rehabilitation. It's a delightful thing indeed. However, what you encountered towards the end of your expedition was concerning. It seems another has made their way into the Metaverse."</p><p><br/>"Who could it be?" Ren asked. Igor seemed to know so much, so… It felt like it was worth a shot.</p><p><br/>"That is beyond my knowledge… But your rehabilitation is progressing smoothly… That is for certain. May the devotion to your rehabilitation grow even deeper. I have high hopes for you." Ren felt the bond he had with Igor beginning to grow deeper. It gave him some much needed comfort, in a time where he had felt unsure about his odds. He turned back, getting into the small 'bed' prepared for him inside of his cell and closing his eyes.</p><p><span class="u"><br/>"Another Metaverse user…"</span> Igor thought to himself. He tapped his long fingers with rhythm against his desk, giving off an eerie smile and chuckling. <span class="u">"Perhaps this could prove… Amusing."</span> A plan was hatching inside of his head. One that nobody else would know of. This new Metaverse user… It was an exciting concept for him. And perhaps it could be used as a new player in this game he was running.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I realize it's been a while since I've actually addressed Yama's stats, including his current level and skills. Let's fix that: </p><p>Yama<br/>Level 20<br/>Trait: Synergistic Mind (Guaranteed to land a Critical Hit after a Baton Pass)<br/>Affinity: Weak to Bless, Strong against Curse</p><p>Skills:<br/>Eiha - Light Curse damage to 1 foe.<br/>Skull Cracker - Medium Physical damage and inflict Confuse (medium odds) to 1 foe.<br/>Evil Touch - Inflict Fear (high odds) to 1 foe.<br/>Rampage - Light Physical damage to all foes.<br/>Counter - 10% chance of reflecting Physical attacks.</p><p>Next Skill (Level 21):<br/>Maeiha - Light Curse damage to all foes.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Bond</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>May 30th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Early Morning - Kazero Household</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>"Ugh…" Toya slowly came to. It was early in the morning, and he was having trouble gathering his bearings. He was in his bed, in his room. But when did he get here? <em>How</em> did he get here? He didn't remember. His mind was completely dazed, covered in a thick fog that he couldn't think through. He could only remember he was running… But nothing else. It was starting to hurt, with how hard he was racking his brain to try and remember what had happened.</p><p><br/>But something else was wrong. His head was hurting… And it wasn't just some regular morning headache. It felt worse. His entire head felt weird. He hadn't noticed it until then-probably due to the daze he was in, but his entire mind felt like it was splitting apart. He tossed and turned around in his bed from the pain, and his chest started heaving. He could feel cold sweats dripping down from his forehead.</p><p><br/>It was a nightmare- that's what he had told himself. The pain he felt couldn't be real. It reminded him of when he awoke to Yama, but there was a big difference. When he was awakening the month prior, he could feel something coming out from him. Something coming from inside of his soul, that being his Persona. But now… It didn't feel like anything was coming. Instead, it felt like something was lurking. Lurking around inside of his head, just… waiting. Toya could feel it, and he could feel one strong emotion coming from it: hate. A passionate, unconditional hatred was in his head, one that was never there before. He didn't welcome the feeling at all. He didn't even know why it was <em>there</em>, or what it was directed towards. He just wanted it gone.</p><p><br/><span class="u">"H-Hey, Osiris…?"</span> In some kind of desperation, Toya tried calling out to Osiris. There was no response, and the pain didn't let up at all. He grabbed onto his head, turning onto his chest and grunting in pain, which had eventually turned into him yelling. <span class="u">"A-Are you in there…!?"</span> He felt alone, and scared. Something was wrong. Something was <em>very</em> wrong. But <em>why?</em> He couldn't figure it out. He just wanted it to stop. <span class="u">"Please… O-Osiris…!"</span></p><p><br/><span class="u">"<strong>...Hm?"</strong> </span>And just like that, it was gone. The feeling of hatred, and all of the pain that came along with it. Everything had suddenly vanished, like it was never there to begin with. Toya took deep breaths. He wasn't in pain anymore, thankfully. But still… He couldn't just forget what had happened. It was real. He wanted it to be a nightmare, but he was very awake. "<strong>What's wrong?"</strong> Osiris asked, audible concern in his voice.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"My head was going crazy… It felt like it was splitting apart. It only went back to normal when you started responding…"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>That's… Odd."</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"...Is there something you're not telling me?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>What do you mean?"</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"I felt a really, really strong… hatred in my head. Like… Almost like I wanted something to suffer. That hate wasn't from you, right…?"</span>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">"<strong>...To be perfectly honest, I'm not so sure."</strong></span> Just hearing that concerned Toya. <span class="u">"<strong>I felt like I was in some kind of a trance. Hearing you snapped me out of it."</strong></span></p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"A trance…?" An already confusing morning was getting even more confusing for him. He couldn't really process anything, not after… All of that.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>...Do you mind if I ask a question?"</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"Huh? What is it?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Humans… Are they all as… problematic as some of the ones we've seen? People like Kamoshida, and Madarame. Is that… normal?"</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"Normal? No. Those two are especially bad cases. But…" Toya sat up. "There's more people like them out there."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You're sure?"</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"Yeah. I mean… There were police that <em>knew </em>about Kamoshida. And they did nothing about it. Committing crimes is one thing, but… being completely aware of something wrong, and doing nothing to stop it when you have the authority and power to do it? That's not much better."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>...I see. You're right. Even those people… their inherit nature is…"</strong> Osiris stopped talking. He let out a soft sigh, as if he was stuck in thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"...What's going on? You've been acting off all morning."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>It's… It's nothing. Nothing you should concern yourself with."</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"Osiris… I don't know what you are yet. But…I don't care. Even if nobody else sees you… You're family to me. You don't have to hide things from me that trouble you."</span>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">"<strong>...Thank you, Jester. Knowing that there are people like you… It gives me hope."</strong></span> There was a long pause, where the two of them just sat in silence with each other. Neither knew what to say anymore, but the bond between them felt like it was getting closer. They couldn't fully understand each other yet, but it was okay. They were getting there. <span class="u">"<strong>Shouldn't you get going, though?"</strong></span></p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"Huh?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>...It's Monday. Don't you have school?"</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"...CRAP."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You idiot..."</strong></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>May 30th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Early Morning - Shibuya (Station Square)</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>After scrambling around in an attempt to get himself together, Toya was somehow able to get himself situated enough to get out the door. He lived relatively close to the subway station, so it didn't take much time. The hardest part of the morning was trying to find his gym clothes. Today wasn't going to be a normal day of school- instead, it was a cleanup day. All students had to go to a park in Aoyama and clean it up… for some reason. Toya didn't really <em>want</em> to, but he wasn't going to complain about taking a break from actual classes.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Hey, what's going on over there?"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">"Huh?"</span> Toya directed his focus towards what was happening in the middle of the station square. There was a middle aged man grabbing onto a schoolgirl's arm- she was in a Shujin uniform and had red hair. Everyone was ignoring the scene… Well, <em>almost</em> everyone. Toya was going to step in himself, but he saw someone else go up before him.</p><p><br/>"You're hurting her." Ren Amamiya. He was the only other person around who seemed to actually care about what was happening. The man in question let go of the school girl, who promptly hid behind Ren. The man got angry and walked off, saying something vulgar under his breath.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"He really likes playing hero, doesn't he?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You should go talk to him."</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"Huh? Uhhhh…. Maaaaaybe not…"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>What? Why not?"</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"Didn't I just gut punch him not even 24 hours ago? How am I supposed to just look him in the eye and act like that DIDN'T happen?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>It would be a lot more suspicious if you ignored him, you know."</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"But-"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Just do it. If you don't bring it up, then he has no way of knowing it was you. Simple enough."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">"Fiiiiiine…"</span> Toya watched the girl that Ren saved started walking away, and started walking forward himself.</p><p><br/>"You really like involving yourself with other people's problems, don't you?" He said, walking forward and trying to remain as calm as possible. Ren turned his head and met his eyes.</p><p><br/>"Something like that." He turned around-mostly just to hide his bag from Toya- most likely due to Morgana being inside of it. "How much of that did you see?"</p><p><br/>"Most of it. I would've tried stepping in myself, but… Well, you were already here. Not like you're incapable of stopping someone like him, given your… track record in the past month." Ren averted his eyes. He forgot that Toya knew about him being a Phantom Thief already , due to how hectic things have been recently. "...Why <em>do</em> you do it, anyways? Helping so many people, I mean. Don't most of them look at you and write you off as being a criminal? I mean, half of the school does it. Even some of the teachers."</p><p><br/>"It's not like anyone else is going to do it. Besides… people write me off as a criminal regardless of what I do. Might as well just do what I think is right."</p><p><br/>"I guess that makes sense. Well, as long as you're making yourself happy, then it's no problem." Toya took out his phone and checked the time. "I-It's this late already!? Hey, we gotta get moving! Come on!"</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>May 30th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Morning - Aoyama-Itchome</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>The two of them split off once they were at school grounds. Ren went off to his friends, while Toya…</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Oh, right. You don't have any friends."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">"Shut up!"</span> Toya shook his head and leaned against a tree. "I-I could have friends if I wanted to! Honest!"</p><p><br/><span class="u">"<strong>I'm sure you could."</strong></span> The two of them bickered with each other for a little bit, until someone walked up to them.</p><p><br/>"It's such a nice day out that even the weather seems to be mocking us." It took a second for Toya to remember Mishima's voice.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Who the hell starts a conversation like that!?"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>"Oh, hey Mishima. What's up?"</p><p><br/>"Just waiting for things to start up. I've been waiting around for a while."</p><p><br/>"...How long…?"</p><p><br/>"Only like an hour."</p><p><br/>"A-An hour!? I've been here for like, a minute! 2 tops! Why'd you get here so early?"</p><p><br/>"<em>Good morning, Shujin Academy students and staff."</em> The two of them could hear someone talking through a megaphone. They turned towards the sound, and Toya instinctively clenched a fist upon seeing who the sound was coming from. "<em>Please pick up all trash located in the areas assigned to your group. Once the cleanup is completed, a lunch of miso soup with pork and vegetables will be served."</em></p><p><br/>"Ugh…" Toya rolled his eyes. He recognized her as the girl who approached him after his fight with Kai.</p><p><br/>"Hm? You don't like her?"</p><p><br/>"Something about her attitude rubs me the wrong way. Who even <em>is</em> she?"</p><p><br/>"...Wait, you seriously don't know her? She's the student council president, Makoto Niijima."</p><p><br/>"God… That explains the high and mighty attitude tone. What a pain…"</p><p><br/>"Don't worry about her. She's small time compared to the people you've been taking down!"</p><p><br/>"N-Not so loud!" Toya nervously looked around. It didn't seem like anyone heard him, but it was still a scare.</p><p><br/>"...How'd it go yesterday? You know, with Madarame? Did you get him?"</p><p><br/>"...Yeah. Yeah, I got him. He'll confess to everything soon."</p><p><br/>"Haha, awesome! No rotten adult is safe from you!"</p><p><br/>"I said not loud! L-Let's just get to work!" The two of them went on to start cleaning up, unaware of the person listening in on their conversation. Standing behind the tree that Toya was leaning against Makoto Niijima, holding her phone out and recording the conversation. She closed her eyes and smirked, stopping the recording and putting it in her pocket.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>May 30th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Afternoon - Aoyama-Itchome</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>The cleanup went by without anything noteworthy happening. Toya made small talk with Mishima, but mostly kept to himself—or rather, he talked to Osiris. He had a lot on his mind after the events that had transpired the day prior, so he felt unsure of what he was supposed to do now. He was on the tight side of the Phantom Thieves in the real world… but he was on the wrong side of them in the cognitive one. He heard and felt his phone ringing, so he quickly pulled it out and answered.</p><p><br/>"Hello?"</p><p><br/>"Everything okay?"</p><p><br/>"Kai? Yeah, why?"</p><p><br/>"You were out like a light for almost 20 hours. I had to literally carry you to your bed."</p><p><br/>"Wait, I was THAT tired? ...Actually, that makes sense now that I think about it." Toya looked around to make sure nobody was nearby before sitting down on a bench.</p><p><br/>"How'd everything go yesterday?"</p><p><br/>"It <em>was</em> going fine. Madarame was dealt with pretty easily, and I didn't even have to help. Things didn't get bad until they turned around and saw me."</p><p><br/>"Wait, they <em>saw </em>you!?"</p><p><br/>"I had a mask on. They couldn't recognize me at all. But… They're not exactly 'fans' of me. Not over there, at least."</p><p><br/>"What about the real world? Any differences?"</p><p><br/>"No, not at all. Everything feels normal with them in the real world. They definitely don't know it's me."</p><p><br/>"Good. Keep it that way. What about Madarame? Will his change of heart still come?"</p><p><br/>"Yeah. He'll fess up to everything. It'll probably happen within the week, but I'm not sure."</p><p><br/>"Within a week… Alright. Do you have any other plans?"</p><p><br/>"Not really… I was just gonna focus on school. Why?"</p><p><br/>"There's… something I need from you. Someone I ultimately need you to take down."</p><p><br/>"Take down… You need me to change someone's heart?"</p><p><br/>"Ultimately, yes. I've been following the Wakaba Isshiki case as closely as I possibly can. Her research… I'm going to find out who did it. I would never forgive myself if I couldn't find it out. I believe that the cognitive world is the only way that<br/>we can learn of it."</p><p><br/>"Okay… So who? Who am I gonna go after?"</p><p><br/>"I'm working up a name, but… This guy is in a different league than Kamoshida or Madarame- much different. He's a mob boss- running all of Shibuya."</p><p><br/>"A-A mob boss!?"</p><p><br/>"The police can't do anything to him since we have so little on him. I should be able to dig something up though."</p><p><br/>"Wait… Don't you have to report everything you find? Isn't that your job?"</p><p><br/>"Legally, yeah… But I'm putting my trust in you instead. Something tells me that they can't handle this."</p><p><br/>"...Alright. I'll do everything that I can. I'll need your help getting in, though. Once I'm in his cognitive world, I can do the rest."</p><p><br/>"One more thing… Most likely, this guy isn't directly connected to this case. But it's still important. Just… Think of this as a test. If you can do this, then we'll go through with everything that comes next. Alright, I gotta go. Take care, and I'll<br/>tell you whatever I find."</p><p><br/>"Got it!" Kai hung up. Toya put his phone in his pocket and looked up to the sky.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>A mob boss, hm? Isn't that a bit dangerous?"</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"Aw, when did you start caring for my well-being like that?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Quiet! Besides, if you die, then I die too! Probably."</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"We still don't really know what you are… But it's okay. And don't worry, I'll be fine. I have you looking out for me too, right? There's no way we're gonna get taken down by some nobody!"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>I can't tell if you're confident, or just stupid…"</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"Both."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Don't agree with it!"</strong></span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry this one took so long to come out. With everything happening in the world (Specifically all of the FGC drama), things have been... rough.</p><p>Nevertheless, I hope you all enjoyed. Things are going to start getting a lot more interesting after this chapter.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Justice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I think this is the first time I've gone over a week without posting a chapter. I think it's also the first time in over a year that I haven't defaulted to posting at 12PM EST.</p><p>On one hand, I just broke two records. On the other hand... I kinda screwed up by taking so long. Real life kinda kicked me in the dick recently. Sorry!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>June 9th, 20XX (Thursday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Early Morning - Kazero Household<br/></strong>
</p><p> </p><p><span class="u"><strong>"A school trip… to a TV Station? What the hell kind of trip is that?"</strong></span> Toya and Osiris we're conversing while Toya was getting into his school uniform, despite there not being any regular classes today.</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"I'm not exactly excited for it either. Then again, I don't know if anyone is looking forward to anything about this trip, apart from not having to go to class."</span>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u"> <br/>"Are you looking forward to that?"</span> </strong>
</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"...T-That's not important to the conversation."</span>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u"> <br/>"Yes it is."</span> </strong>
</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"Shut it!"</span>
</p><p><br/>"Hey, you awake yet?" Toya could hear knocking at his door, accompanied by Kai's voice.</p><p><br/>"Yeah, I'm up. You can come in." Kai helped himself in, closing the door behind him and taking out his phone. "What's up?"</p><p><br/>"I think I figured out the identity of the mob boss I was telling you about. He came up in the app as a hit. Take a look." He held his phone out towards Toya and showed his screen.</p><p><br/>"Junya Kaneshiro…? I guess it makes sense that I've never heard of him. Well, we still need to figure out his keywords."</p><p><br/>"Keywords… What would they be?"</p><p><br/>"It's a place, and whatever he thinks of it as. For Kamoshida, it was 'Shujin Academy' and 'Castle'. For this guy, though…? I'm not really sure. I mean, it could be anything in Shibuya—"</p><p><br/>"Match found." The two stopped in the middle of their thought process as the robotic voice echoed throughout the room.</p><p><br/>"...That—That didn't actually just happen, did it?"</p><p><br/>"No, it definitely did." Kai said, pulling his phone back. "So does this mean… He thinks of the entire city of Shibuya as something?"</p><p><br/>"I-It should, but that's crazy! I mean… an entire city!? That's ridiculous!"</p><p><br/>"Ridiculous as it may be… I can't say I'm too surprised. He's running Shibuya. He probably has been for even longer than I realized."</p><p><br/>"That's… That's crazy… Someone thinking he has an entire city under their thumb…"</p><p><br/>"...I know. That's why he has to be stopped." Kai paused, a look of concern appearing on his face. "...Are you sure you can do it alone?"</p><p><br/>"What do you mean?"</p><p><br/>"I'm not gonna pretend to know what happens in that world. But… Taking down a mob boss on your own? There's no way that's gonna be safe."</p><p><br/>"It's fine. Besides, you wouldn't be able to help me. And there's nobody I can really ask."</p><p><br/>"Still… Are you sure this isn't too much for you? You don't have to do this if you don't think you can handle it. I don't want to push you into something that'll just get you hurt-or worse."</p><p><br/>"Don't worry. Whatever's in there, I'll be able to handle it. Promise!"</p><p><br/>"...Alright. I'll trust you on this, then. Just be careful, alright?"</p><p><br/>"Yeah, I know. I'll be fine." Kai still had his doubts. Perhaps it was because he didn't really know what was going to happen in that world, but he was concerned. Toya seemed confident, though. So despite his doubts, he let it go.</p><p><span class="u"><strong><br/>"Not to ruin the moment, but weren't you supposed to leave by now?"</strong></span> The trip had completely slipped Toya's mind. He took out his own phone and checked the time.</p><p><br/>"You gotta be kidding me… I even woke up on time today and I'm gonna be late!?"</p><p><br/>"You're confident you can take down a mob boss, and you can't even get to school on time…? Jeez…" Kai sighed and opened the door. "Come on. You're going to that TV station today, right? It's on the way to work, so I'll drop you off."</p><p><br/>"Thanks…"</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>June 9th, 20XX (Thursday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Afternoon - TV Station</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Even though Toya got there on time, he felt like he wouldn't have missed anything had he not gone at all. He ended up zoning out the entire time, despite his best efforts to pay attention.</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"So… Bored…"</span>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u"> <br/>"What were they thinking with this trip? Did they really think that anyone would pay attention?"</span> </strong>
</p><p><span class="u"><br/>"Beats me… Though, maybe I would have focused more if I wasn't thinking about everything that happened this morning."</span> Toya took out his phone and opened the Nav app while walking forward. <span class="u">"Junya Kaneshiro… A mob boss with a Palace. It makes sense, I guess."</span></p><p>
  <strong><span class="u"> <br/>"Any idea what his Palace could be?"</span> </strong>
</p><p><span class="u"><br/>"I don't know. A mob boss is probably obsessed with money, right? I wonder…"</span> With low expectations, he typed 'bank' into the app. Surprisingly enough, it worked. "<span class="u">...Really? It was that easy?"</span></p><p>
  <strong><span class="u"> <br/>"A bank… He thinks of an entire city as his own personal bank. How very… human of him."</span> </strong>
</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"Well, we have everything. Now we just have to get there. Wanna get out of here and check it out?"</span>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u"> <br/>"Sure, but you should really watch where you're going-"</span> </strong>
</p><p>
  <em><br/>Bonk</em>
</p><p><br/>He bumped right into someone. He hadn't even realized there was someone in his path until they bonked their heads against each other. The two of them stumbled back, slightly wincing in pain from the sudden collision.</p><p><br/>"Ow… My bad…" Toya said, regaining his composure.</p><p><br/>"No, I admittedly wasn't paying enough attention either." The two of them looked at each other, and for a moment their eyes met. Toya didn't recognize this person though. He was a boy, wearing a tan coat and black pants. He had brown hair that was a few shades lighter than Toya's and reached down to his neck, while his bangs covered the center part of his face and extended slightly past his reddish-brown eyes. "...I believe I've seen your face before. Have we met?"</p><p><br/>"Huh? No, I don't think so. You've probably just got me confused with someone else." He said, confused that someone would recognize him.</p><p><br/>"You were in Kai's car earlier this morning, were you not?" He took a step back and let out a faint gasp underneath his breath.</p><p><br/>"You know my brother?"</p><p><br/>"Brother…? Ah, of course. He did mention having a younger brother that attended Shujin Academy once. He said your name was… Toya, I believe?"</p><p><br/>"Uh, y-yeah… How exactly do you know my brother?"</p><p><br/>"Me and your brother have worked on a couple of cases together before. Though I'm sure he hasn't been able to tell you anything about them since it's all confidential information."</p><p><br/>"Yeah, he's… Pretty quiet about work. Anything he's ever brought up to me involves stuff that's already shown up on the news. He never mentioned having a partner, or anything like that." Toya had to lie about Kai. He didn't want to let anyone know about the information he gets from his brother, regardless of if the two of them directly work together or not.</p><p><br/>"Well, I wouldn't go as far to say that the two of us are partners. We simply share a mutual interest in a case is all." He took out his phone for a moment to check the time, then put it back in his pocket. "My apologies, I must be going. There's a briefing for tomorrow's recording that I have to attend. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other at the recording tomorrow. I'll admit, I am interested in knowing what someone who's related to Kai is like." He had a cheerful look on his face as he started walking away.</p><p><br/>"Mutual interest in a case…? Could that be…?" Toya started murmuring himself as the boy started to walk away. "H-Hey, wait up a sec! I never got your name or anything!" He turned around, but he was already pretty far gone. He wouldn't be able to get his attention from here without raising his voice, and he didn't want to create a scene. He started walking towards him, but stopped at some point when he realized that he was just wasting his time. He sighed and leaned against the wall.</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u"> <br/>"That was… Interesting."</span> </strong>
</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"A mutual interest in a case… There's only one case Kai is actually interested in as far as I know. And that's…"</span>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u"> <br/>"The mental shutdowns, and everything else revolving around Wakaba Isshiki. But why's someone around your age interested in something like that?"</span> </strong>
</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"He said he's gonna be around tomorrow for the recording, right? Maybe I can talk to him about it then."</span>
</p><p><br/>"H-Hey, can we skip the vomit machines and get cake instead?" Toya heard a familiar voice from not too far off. It was Morgana- accompanied by the rest of the Phantom Thieves.</p><p><span class="u"><br/>"...Cake? Now that they mention it…"</span> Toya could hear the sound of his stomach audibly grumbling. <span class="u">"...Maybe we can check out Kaneshiro's Palace tomorrow…"</span></p><p>
  <strong><span class="u"> <br/>"You're hopeless..."</span> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>June 10th, 20XX (Friday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Afternoon - TV Station</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>A day later, it was time for the recording-the main reason that the school was even going there, as far as Toya could tell. He had grabbed a seat that was conveniently right behind the Phantom Thieves… and conveniently, Mishima found a seat right next to him.</p><p><br/>"Mr. Akechi's coming on!"</p><p><br/>"Akechi…?" Toya mumbled to himself. He heard the sound of girls screaming in excitement all around him as soon as they said Akechi's name. "Guess this guy's popular."</p><p><br/>"Huh? You don't know him? He's getting publicity really quickly!" Mishima said, excitement in his voice. A few seconds later, someone walked out- and it was exactly who Toya was looking for, in a place he wasn't expecting to find him. The boy from yesterday who said he worked with Kai.</p><p><br/>"After his last appearance was so well-received, we decided to bring back this fine gentleman today. It's the high school detective, Goro Akechi!" The announcer said, welcoming Akechi to the broadcast.</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"Wait, that's Akechi? Wait-that guy is famous!?"</span>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u"> <br/>"He's just full of surprises, isn't he?"</span> </strong>
</p><p><br/>"Thank you for taking the time to join us today, Akechi. Your popularity is stunning." The host said, gassing Akechi up for the audience. Toya couldn't wrap his head around Kai working with someone that was getting so popular. Maybe it was due to Kai not really being popular at all, but he couldn't know for sure.</p><p><br/>"Moving along, we've been told there's a case on your mind right now. Care to share, detective?"</p><p><br/>"Ah, yes. That would be the scandal involving the master artist Madarame." This instantly caught the attention of the Phantom Thieves, as well as Toya, Osiris, and Mishima. "Hypothetically speaking, if these Phantom Thieves are real… I believe they should be tried in a court of law."</p><p><br/>The entire atmosphere changed around them once those words left Akechi's mouth. It wasn't surprising in the slightest, but… hearing it said outright like that made everyone in question nervous.</p><p><br/>"What the artist Madarame did truly was an unforgivable crime. However, they're taking the law into their own hands by judging him. It is far from justice. More importantly, you should never forcefully change a person's heart."</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"...To be fair, he does have a point."</span>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u"> <br/>"If only he knew that the police were too incompetent to do these things on their own… Then the Phantom Thieves wouldn't even exist."</span> </strong>
</p><p><br/>"Now then, let's try asking some students the same age as Akechi about the Phantom Thieves! First, please press your button now if you think the Phantom Thieves exist!" The female announcer said.</p><p><br/>"Of course they do!" He heard Ryuji whisper. Toya pressed the button without thinking. Moments later, the number '18' appeared on the panel behind Akechi and the host.</p><p><br/>"I'm a bit surprised. That's higher than I was expecting. I'd love to hear some more detailed opinions on the Phantom Thieves' actions." As Akechi spoke, the announcer started walking down the aisle towards them.</p><p><span class="u"><br/>"Please not me, please not me, please not me, please not me, please not me…"</span> The announcer kept walking forward, and stopped when she reached Ren's seat. <span class="u">"Not me!"</span></p><p>
  <strong><span class="u"> <br/>"Give me a break…"</span> </strong>
</p><p><br/>"Hypothetically speaking, what are your thoughts on these Phantom Thieves, if they were real?" She asked Ren, pointing the microphone in her hand towards him.</p><p><br/>"They're necessary." He spoke without hesitation.</p><p><br/>"Haha, I wasn't expecting that. It's rather intriguing to hear such a strong acknowledgement. In that case, there's one more question I'd like to ask. If someone close to you, for example, your friend next to you… If his heart suddenly changed, wouldn't you think it was the work of the Phantom Thieves?"</p><p><br/>"What would you think?"</p><p><br/>"Ah, throwing the question back at me? Well, this is my opinion on the topic. Whether the Theives' actions are good or not, I feel there is a more important issue at hand. The matter of how they change people's hearts. If they honestly possess that ability… it could be used for more than extracting confessions. It could be that what seem to be ordinary crimes are actually being perpetrated by these methods… This is all purely hypothetical. It is only if people who can use such a power truly exist. Either way though, this cannot be ignored. The existence of the Phantom Thieves would be nothing more than a threat to our everyday lives."</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"...I can see why he thinks that, but… Throwing the idea that they're criminals into the air is gonna do nothing but make people even more scared than they already are. Something's up about this."</span>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u"> <br/>"Oh, what's this? Are you actually using your head for once?"</span> </strong>
</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"Oh, can it! I'm not stupid!"</span>
</p><p><br/>The broadcast ended not long after. Toya started walking away for a while, getting away from the crowd. A few moments later, Mishima came up to him.</p><p><br/>"I can't believe that Akechi guy would just say all of that about the Phantom Thieves! They're totally justified! They do more than the cops do!"</p><p><br/>"Shhh! You're gonna make a scene if you keep yelling like that, man."</p><p><br/>"I know, but… There's no way! How could anyone think that after everything that happened with Kamoshida!"</p><p><br/>"It's not too big of a jump in logic to assume that people who call themselves 'Thieves' aren't oriented around justice." They heard a voice approaching them from not too far away, and they recognized it as Akechi right away. He instantly made eye contact with Toya. "I've been looking for you. I was interested in your opinion on something."Toya got in front of Mishima, not wanting him to say anything that would annoy Akechi.</p><p><br/>"Let me guess-related to the Phantom Thieves, right?"</p><p><br/>"Of course. Your brother is part of the police, after all. I'm sure you have an interesting take on them, considering both that and the fact that their first appearance was at your school. Do you think they exist?"</p><p><br/>"Of course I do. Something like that happening to two different people… It's not something that just happens to people naturally. That doesn't sound possible at all."</p><p><br/>"I suppose you have a point there. What do you think of them, though? Do you think they're justice-oriented?"</p><p><br/>"...They're vigilantes, so they're dangerous. I'll agree with you on that part. But to jump the gun and call them criminals is a bit much. After all, the crimes that they exposed were real. And, if you want proof of that…" He took a step to the side and pointed his thumb at Mishima. "Look no further than the guy who experienced Kamoshida's abuse first-hand."</p><p><br/>"I see you've done your research on the matter. Perhaps it runs in the family?"</p><p><br/>"...Yeah, something like that." Toya paused. He looked back towards Mishima. He was a lot happier now than he was when they first met, but he still felt uncomfortable whenever Kamoshida was brought up. "...You know, the police knew what Kamoshida was doing. It's not even a secret that they knew everything that was happening, and they did nothing about it. If the police aren't going to stop the world from going to hell, then doesn't the responsibility fall on everyone else?"</p><p><br/>"That part has some truth to it, but that doesn't make the uncertainty of their actions any less unsettling. Anyways, I should really be going."</p><p><br/>"Yeah, me too. Tell Kai I said hi if you run into him, alright?" The two nodded at each other, before Akechi turned around and began walking away.</p><p><br/>"Dude… You totally held your ground against him!" Mishima said, a shocked expression on his face.</p><p><br/>"Huh? Not really. I just said what I thought was right. Not like it was anything special."</p><p><br/>"B-But still! I wouldn't be able to do that while keeping my cool!"</p><p><br/>"I'll... help you out with that when I get the chance. I gotta get out of here and check something out."</p><p><br/>"Ooh! Did you figure out your next target!?"</p><p><br/>"Be quiet when you're talking about that! O-Or just don't talk about it publicly at all!"</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>June 10th, 20XX (Friday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Afternoon - Kaneshiro's Bank (Central Street)</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Toya went straight from the TV station to Central Street. He meant to go here yesterday, but it didn't really matter. There was no distinct time limit as far as he was aware. He looked around and saw… Well, he wasn't exactly sure what he saw. It looked like Central Street, but it had a different atmosphere. Not only that, but there were a lot of ATMs… with legs.</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"...You're seeing this too, right?"</span>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u"> <br/>"The ATMs? Yeah."</span> </strong>
</p><p><span class="u"><br/>"What the hell is going on here…?"</span> Toya started looking around, until he came across an ATM that had smoke and sparks flying out of it. He slowly walked up to it.</p><p>
  <strong><br/>"It's no use… It's all over… I'll end up just like them…"</strong>
</p><p><br/>"Just like… Who? Wait, what even happened here?"</p><p>
  <strong><br/>"Can't you tell…? I've fallen… fallen so far… From a place where Kaneshiro leaves no tracks…"</strong>
</p><p><br/>"Fallen…? No tracks…? What do you mea-"</p><p>
  <strong><br/>"I'm… too tired… Please… let me rest…" With those final words, the ATM broke down and fell over, sparks still flying out of it.</strong>
</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"What the hell is going on here? 'Fallen'? 'No tracks'?"</span>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u"> <br/>"That's concerning. What's also concerning is the money that's seemingly flying up to the clouds."</span> </strong>
</p><p><span class="u"><br/>"Huh…?"</span> Toya paid more attention and noticed what Osiris was talking about. There was money flying, and it was going… somewhere. Toya followed the trail of it until his eyes saw something floating above all of the buildings. <span class="u">"Is that… the bank…!?"</span></p><p>
  <strong><span class="u"> <br/>"So the part about falling was literal. That explains the damage."</span> </strong>
</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"How the hell are we supposed to get up there!?"</span>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u"> <br/>"There's nothing we can do about that right now. Perhaps we can get some tools, or something. Perhaps you can get something akin to the grappling hook that Ren has?"</span> </strong>
</p><p>
  <span class="u"><br/>"Will it even reach that far…? Ugh… Let's just get out of here for now."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>"Did Toya accidently stole one of Ren's Social Links? Mishima?"</p><p>Kinda. Mishima's under the illusion that Toya's the person who changed Kamoshida's heart at the moment, so he doesn't psuedo-worship Ren like he does in the game.</p><p> </p><p>"Why did you change Toya's Persona from Diabolos to Yama?"</p><p>Honestly, I just thought it fit his overall theme better. It doesn't fit with the rest of the Thieves, but I think that's okay, considering he doesn't work alongside them and is a completely different character.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Discovered</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>June 13th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>A few days had passed since Toya first laid eyes on Kaneshiro's Bank. After a few days of brainstorming with both Kai and Osiris, he still wasn't able to think of a way to get all the way up there. The only idea that made even remotely any sense at all was getting a grappling hook, but it's not like he had one on hand. Thankfully, Kai had already ordered him one. He'd have to wait about a week or so, but that was fine. Until then, he just had to wait around and hope that the days were quiet.</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"Maybe I'll go to Mementos today…"</span> He thought, standing up from his desk.</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>Mementos? Why do you wanna go there?"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"To be honest? I'm really bored… It kinda sounds fun, don't you think?"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>You have a weird definition of 'fun', you know that?"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"Not like anything else is happening… Besides, I have to take down a <em>mob boss</em> on my own. If I'm out of shape, who knows what'll happen?"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>Fine, fine. Just don't do anything too stupid. Nobody will be able to save you if you're deep in the Metaverse."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"I know, I know…"</span> Toya stretched his arms out. It had been a while since he entered Mementos-in fact, he hadn't even summoned his Persona since Madarame got his heart changed. Part of him missed it, so the thought of doing this was enough to get him pretty excited.</p><p><br/>
"O-Oh, you're still here…" Mishima started walking up to Toya's desk, looking down at the ground.</p><p><br/>
"Mishima? What's wrong?"</p><p><br/>
"Um… the student council president wants to see us…"</p><p><br/>
"The student council president?" Toya took a moment to remember exactly <em>who</em> that was. "What exactly does <em>she</em> want? ...And why both of us?"</p><p><br/>
"I don't know, but… We probably shouldn't keep her waiting." Toya closed his eyes and looked down.</p><p><br/>
"Give me a break…" He sighed and put his hands in his pockets. "Fine, fine, fine. Lead the way, I'll be right behind you." He opened his eyes and looked at Mishima, nodding. Mishima turned around and started making his way to the 3rd floor, with Toya following behind him.</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>Any idea what this could be about?"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"Not at all. Ugh… I have a bad feeling about this."</span> The two of them stopped in front of the room they were called to. Neither of them were really sure what was in store for them, but they entered anyways. As soon as they walked in, they saw the student council president herself, Makoto Niijima, leaning on a table.</p><p><br/>
"Ah. Earlier than expected." She said, standing up straight with her hands at her sides.</p><p><br/>
"So, what, you can just <em>summon</em> people to your office?" Toya said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.</p><p><br/>
"You came, didn't you?"</p><p><br/>
"If that's a challenge to start ignoring your requests from now on, then I oh so <em>graciously</em> accept."</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>Calm down. No point in getting angry before she does anything, right?"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"...Yeah, you're probably right.</span>" Toya looked towards Mishima, who had a confused and slightly intimidated look on his face.</p><p><br/>
"S-So, why did you want us to come here?" Mishima blurted out, trying to carry the conversation on past whatever awkward banter was happening beforehand.</p><p><br/>
"...Have a seat." Makoto took a seat at the table just behind her after speaking, with Toya and Mishima taking a seat on the other side, looking at her. "I'll get straight to the point. Mr. Kamoshida and Madarame. Won't you two tell me the truth behind the Phantom Thieves' incidents?"</p><p><br/>
"How should I know? I'm just a schoolboy."</p><p><br/>
"Y-Yeah! We don't care about that stuff! I-It'd be weird if we did!" There was a stark contrast between the two and their tones. Toya was doing his best to remain calm after what Osiris said, trying to use as little words as possible. Mishima, on the other hand, made it painfully obvious how nervous he was. He talked more than he had to, and overall just made a fool of himself.</p><p><br/>
"Ah, of course. There's no way you would admit to such things." She took out her phone, tapping a button on the screen and putting it down on the desk. "Have a listen."</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>"<em>Don't worry about her. She's small time compared to the people you've been taking down!"</em></p><p><br/>
"<em>N-Not so loud!"</em></p><p><br/>
"<em>...How'd it go yesterday? You know, with Madarame? Did you get him?"</em></p><p><br/>
"<em>...Yeah. Yeah, I got him. He'll confess to everything soon."</em></p><p><br/>
"<em>Haha, awesome! No rotten adult is safe from you!"</em></p><p><br/>
"<em>I said not loud! L-Let's just get to work!" </em></p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Silence.</strong>
</p><p><br/>
Pure silence filled the room for a moment. Toya and Mishima both recognized the audio. It was a conversation they had a few weeks ago, just before they had begun picking up trash around the park for the school activity.</p><p><br/>
"...What could all this mean?"</p><p><br/>
"W-We didn't do anything! We swear, we-" Toya raised his arm in front of Mishima's face, signaling him to stop. He was looking down, his eyes not visible."</p><p><br/>
"Was it blackmail? Hypnosis? How do you corner someone into making them confess?" She was pressing them for answers harder than before. It was easy to tell that she had some level of experience with this kind of stuff.</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>Something is off about this..."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"What do you mean?"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>Think about it. Why would she </strong><em><strong>do </strong></em><strong>this? She has zero reason to question you like this. If she wanted to expose you, wouldn't she do it by now?"</strong> He had a point. If she wanted this to be exposed, it would be done. "<strong>You need to figure it out. Start asking questions."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
"...Won't you tell me <em>why </em>you're doing this?" Toya asked, still looking down. "The police are on high alert. You could take that clip to them and get the two of us under surveillance- or even worse, depending on how desperate they are right now. But instead, you're here-asking <em>how</em> it happened. So, tell me this..." Toya finally looked up, staring dead into Makoto's eyes. "Why do you <em><strong>care?</strong></em>" Mishima had a shocked expression on his face. Toya was speaking in an aggressive tone that he hadn't heard from him before. He didn't just sound annoyed like he did previously. Instead, he was turning the table of the conversation. He had become the one asking questions, and demanding answers.</p><p><br/>
"...Because I would like to verify the justice you speak of."</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>...What?"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
"...What?" Toya and Osiris had the same immediate reaction. Even Mishima had a confused look on his face. "...You want to… <em>verify</em> this? What do you mean by that?"</p><p><br/>
"I'm the only one who knows about you. If you prove what you're doing is just, I'll erase this. There is someone whose heart I'd like you to change."</p><p><br/>
"...And just <em>who</em> might that be?"</p><p><br/>
"Hm, so you're not saying it's impossible."</p><p><br/>
"Oh, for the love of-"</p><p><br/>
"Not yet. I cannot tell you that just yet. Let's continue our talk after school tomorrow. On the roof. Assuming the two of you accept my offer, that is."</p><p><br/>
"...Fine. I'll be there. But let me make one thing clear." He lifted a hand and pointed his thumb at Mishima. "He's not directly involved with this. Don't go trying to expose him to the cops too." He got up from his seat, putting his hand on Mishima's shoulder. "Come on. Let's get out of here."</p><p><br/>
"H-Huh? W-Wait up!" He got up and quickly followed Toya out of the room. Makoto watched the two of them leave before trailing her eyes down, a sorrowful expression on her face. She didn't like having to do this, and she didn't like how she was being seen as antagonistic. But she thought it was necessary. If she was going to protect the people who made up the student body of the school from someone who was targeting them… then she <em>needed</em> the cooperation of the Phantom Thieves.</p><p><br/>
While she was lost in thought of how tomorrow was going to go and how she'd make sure this would go well, Toya and Mishima made their way outside. Toya had an annoyed look on his face as he pressed both his bag and foot against the wall.</p><p><br/>
"I-I'm sorry! I swear, I'll be more careful! I won't say anything about that out loud again! I swear!"</p><p><br/>
"Just… Give it a rest already, Mishima. It's fine." Toya took out his phone. He contemplated telling Kai about all of this, but… He didn't know how to do it yet. He wanted to wait until later, until he had more information about this. For now, his best play was to just wait until he figured more stuff out.</p><p><br/>
"Ugh… I can't shake the feeling that I messed it all up now…"</p><p><br/>
"Seriously, it's fine. Just be careful and don't get roped into anything, okay? I'll deal with her on my own." Toya continued staring blankly at his phone. He was a lot more tempted to go to Mementos now, solely for the sake of blowing off steam. He stared at the red and black eyeball on his phone's screen, before spotting someone approaching out of the corner of his eye, someone he recognized.</p><p><br/>
"You two okay?" Out of everyone who could possibly come up to them and ask what's wrong, Toya certainly did not expect Ryuji Sakamoto. Then again, he <em>was</em> a Phantom Thief. It was a lot more in character when factoring that part into his personality, but most people didn't know that. Toya put his phone in his pocket before responding.</p><p><br/>
"Yeah, we're fine. Someone is just being annoying. But don't worry, nothing I can't handle!" Toya tried his best to sound more cheerful. He didn't want to cause any kind of a scene, given who Ryuji was. He also felt bad acting like he was upset around Mishima, given how visibly and audibly upset he looked.</p><p><br/>
"Um… I should go…" Mishima spoke in a shy tone before starting to run off.</p><p><br/>
"H-Hey, wait!" Toya reached an arm out while speaking, but slowly rescinded it when he realized Mishima had no plans of listening. "Damn it…"</p><p><br/>
"...You sure you two're fine?" Ryuji was taken aback by the situation, and confused about context.</p><p><br/>
"No… Not really. We're in a bit of a weird situation… Or well, I guess <em>I</em> am." Toya took a long, deep sigh. He put his hands in his pockets and closed his eyes. "Ren told you, right? About how I'm… 'covering' for you guys. You know, about… That."</p><p><br/>
"You mean—" Ryuji had to stop himself from saying it out loud. "U-Uh, yeah. Why?"</p><p><br/>
"Back when we were picking up trash at the park, Mishima asked me about Madarame. This was after the calling card got put up. I told him it was done, and Madarame's heart would change within a few days. Problem is… the student council president heard the entire thing, and she recorded it. Now she's got me pegged as the one responsible for everything."</p><p><br/>
"F-For real!? That's so effed up! Let us talk to her, we can sort this out!"</p><p><br/>
"N-No, that's crazy! Her knowing that it's you guys is way worse!"</p><p><br/>
"But…"</p><p><br/>
"Worst case scenario, I can just talk to my brother and figure something out with him. She won't be able to get me arrested, or anything like that."</p><p><br/>
"Alright, but damn… Wait, how'd you figure out it was us, anyways?"</p><p><br/>
"It was pretty obvious when—" Toya stopped himself and looked around. Nobody was looking, but there were still a lot of people in the area. "...Maybe we should talk about this somewhere else."</p><p><br/>
"Good point… Hey, you hungry?"</p><p><br/>
"...Now that you mention it, I definitely slept past breakfast..."</p><p><br/>
"C'mon, let's go grab a bite!" Ryuji started running off towards the nearby subway station.</p><p><br/>
"H-Huh!? Wait up!" Toya ran after him, following him down the subway station.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>June 13th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Shibuya (Diner)</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>The two of them got a seat at a table across from each other. It was the first time he had actually gone out to eat with someone that wasn't family-and it was someone he had almost no interaction with prior, surprisingly enough. It confused him, but… Well, he didn't exactly mind the company. Ryuji had a welcoming aura around him, after all.</p><p><br/>
"You wanna talk about how you figured out it was us while we're waitin' for food?"</p><p><br/>
"Oh, sure. Well, to be honest, it wasn't really hard. I was kinda just in the right place at the right time."</p><p><br/>
"Whaddya mean?"</p><p><br/>
"I saw you and Ren vanish into thin air outside the school."</p><p><br/>
"...Wait, for real? That's it!?"</p><p><br/>
"Yep. One second you two were there looking at your phones, next second you were gone. A few weeks later, someone puts calling cards all over school. I go outside once classes end, see you two vanish again as well as Takamaki… and then not too long after, Kamoshida's heart mysteriously changed. It was pretty obvious by that point."</p><p><br/>
"Jeez… Guess we gotta be more careful about it…" He took a big sip of the soda he had. "Hey, since you already know about it, wanna see how we do it?"</p><p><br/>
"I-I don't think that's such a good idea…"</p><p><br/>
"C'mon, you'll be totally safe if you stick with me!"</p><p><br/>
"Thanks, but I'll uh… I'll leave that to you guys! You've already done such a good job anyways, I'd just slow you guys down! Besides uh… I'd probably get too nervous to steal anything…"</p><p><br/>
"Alright. Let me know if you ever change your mind!" He had an excited grin on his face. Toya didn't show it, but he was relieved by the fact that he didn't have to try hard to dissuade Ryuji from the idea. If the two went into the Metaverse together, then Toya's identity would be revealed, which would be… bad, for obvious reasons. "Give me a minute, I gotta take a piss." Ryuji started getting up before accidentally hitting his leg against the table. He yelped out in pain and fell down, placing his hands on one leg.</p><p><br/>
"H-Hey, you okay!?" Toya got up and started helping him up.</p><p><br/>
"Easy, easy…!" Ryuji grunted as Toya lifted him up, carrying him on his shoulder. Toya tried to put him down, but Ryuji's leg was limp, and he was clearly still in pain.</p><p><br/>
"What happened to your leg…?"</p><p><br/>
"Frickin'... Kamoshida broke it a few months back."</p><p><br/>
"A few months…? It's still that sensitive after all this time?"</p><p><br/>
"It was getting better, but… Some asshole shot a damn arrow through it!"</p><p>
  <strong><br/>
Guilt. </strong>
</p><p><br/>
It felt like he was getting hit by his own arrow, piercing through his own heart. He didn't even <em>know</em> that Ryuji had a bad leg to begin with. If he did, he would have been sure to aim higher.</p><p><br/>
"Agh.. H-Hey, you mind helping me move for a minute? Just… Just to the bathroom, alright?"</p><p><br/>
"Y-Yeah, sure… Hang on tight, alright?" Toya slowly stepped forward, making sure Ryuji wasn't going to fall off and hurt himself more. He tried his best to hide how guilty he felt. He was sure it was showing to an extent, but… He did his best.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>June 13th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Evening - Leblanc</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>ANN: Hey, Ryuji.</p><p>ANN: Is your leg feeling any better?</p><p>RYUJI: It was…</p><p>RYUJI: Accidentally bumped it into a diner table earlier.</p><p>RYUJI: It still kinda hurts…</p><p>ANN: The diner? Were you with someone?</p><p>RYUJI: Oh, yeah. That Toya guy.</p><p>YUSUKE: Toya?</p><p>RYUJI: He's a guy who goes to our school.</p><p>REN: He knows about us being Phantom Thieves too.</p><p>RYUJI: Oh yeah, I asked him about that.</p><p>RYUJI: Apparently he saw us vanish into thin air outside the school back before we even sent the calling card to Kamoshida.</p><p>ANN: He's known for <em>that</em> long?</p><p>ANN: Well, that means he probably won't expose us or anything.</p><p>YUSUKE: Hang on, he goes to your school and knows who you three are, correct?</p><p>RYUJI: Uh… Yeah, why?</p><p>YUSUKE: Doesn't he fit the description of the person we encountered in Madarame's Palace?</p><p>RYUJI: Nah. No way.</p><p>RYUJI: When I bumped my leg, he sounded like he didn't even know it was ever broken in the first place.</p><p>ANN: Still…</p><p>ANN: We should be careful. Especially if he's known for that long.</p><p>ANN: If it's not him, then someone else knows who we are…</p><p>REN: Let's make sure we're more careful from now on.</p><p>RYUJI: Yeah. No talking about this in public!</p><p>RYUJI: ...Wait, do we need a new hideout then?</p><p>REN: Let's figure that out tomorrow.</p><p>YUSUKE: Agreed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>haha good schedule joke ahahahahahaha</p><p>(I'm just gonna stop talking about my posting schedule. It just gets worse every time I bring it up...)</p><p>"The part where Toya goes 'Please, not me...', is it a DBZA refrence?"</p><p>I need to get around to making more of those, honestly. DBZA is too funny for its own good sometimes.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Detective</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>June 14th, 20XX (Tuesday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Shujin Academy </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>With a confusing day put behind him, Toya found himself at the end of another long school day. Though, regardless of how hard he tried, there was no way for him to possibly focus on his classes. There were too many things on his mind-with the main thing being nobody other than the student council president herself, Makoto Niijima. His mind has been tense ever since the confrontation yesterday. His mind wanted to overthink what could possibly happen in this kind of situation, but he had no way of actually knowing what would happen, which meant the situation was in a state of limbo. Knowing this, he only really had one option, which was listening to what she said, and planning after that.</p><p><br/><span class="u">"Here goes something…"</span> Toya started walking through the school, slipping past everyone and making his way up towards the top floor.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You know you don't actually have to listen to anything she says, right? You don't even need to go to the rooftop."</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"Well, my other option is getting reported to the cops. I think I know what my choice is…"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>...You… actually never even considered what I'm about to say, did you?"</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"What?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>...You do realize that your own brother works with the police, right? Couldn't he easily get you out of any kind of trouble without any effort?"</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"..."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>...You actually never thought of that."</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"W-Well, it's your fault for not bringing it up until JUST now!"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>He's </strong> <em> <strong>your</strong> </em> <strong>brother. You should know this better than I do."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">"Well yeah, but… ugh, forget it!"</span> Toya shook his head and stopped at the double doors that led to the school rooftop. <span class="u">"I already told her I'd be here, so I might as well just go along with it. Besides… I doubt she realizes who my brother is. If anything, I can just get information out of her and figure out someone else to take down."</span></p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Sigh… Fine. Just don't get all nervous about it. Not like she can do anything to you in your situation."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">"I know, I know…"</span> Toya sighed and put his hands to the doors. <span class="u">"Oh, and… Thanks for bringing it up. It helped calm me down a little bit, at the very least."</span></p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>I still can't believe you never thought of it yourself… You amaze me in the worst ways sometimes, Jester."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">"Oh, be quiet! I swear, you're impossible!"</span> He dismissed his banter with Osiris and pushed the doors open. Sure enough, as soon as he set foot onto the rooftop, he saw Makoto waiting for him.</p><p><br/>"I was thinking you might not show. Whatever happened to you accepting the challenge to 'ignore my requests'?"</p><p><br/>"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Can we skip to the part where you tell me who you want me to go after?"</p><p><br/>"...A mafia boss."</p><p><br/>"...A mafia boss? Really? You want me to go after the damn mafia?" Toya rolled his eyes, but in the back of his mind, he wasn't just dismissing what Makoto was saying. He had something <em>else</em> on his mind when he heard Makoto bring up a mafia boss.</p><p><br/>"That's what they call themselves. This group seems to be the cause of the rise in phishing scams. What's worse, once you're in their sights, they won't stop threatening you until they get what they want. They'll force you to take part in their scams, threaten your family, and ultimately destroy your life."</p><p><br/>"Textbook gang leader activity. Why do you want me to do <em>this</em>, of all things?"</p><p><br/>"Because it appears that their victims include some of our students."</p><p><br/>"Of course… Well, what do you have? I need a name before I can do anything."</p><p><br/>"Nobody knows their name. The victims are all being threatened not to testify, so even the police can't get a grasp of the situation."</p><p><br/>"So, what, you want me to play detective <em>and</em> vigilante?"</p><p><br/>"You should be able to pull it off… if you're really the righteous Phantom Thief. Or is Akechi correct when he says you act without justice?"</p><p><br/>"If you thought that was that was the case, you would have already tried and failed to report me to the cops."</p><p><br/>"Failed…?"</p><p><br/>"Maybe I'll tell you some other time." He closed his eyes and turned around, walking towards the exit. "I'm outta here. If you don't have anything else for me, then I'll figure it out myself. Wait for me tomorrow, same time. I'll have everything I need by then."</p><p><br/>"T-Tomorrow? How are you going to-" He didn't bother listening to what she had to say. He walked through the door and went back into the school, walking downstairs and pretending as if he was never up there to begin with, seeing as how it was off limits ever since what happened to Shiho Suzui. He started making his way to the exit while starting a conversation with Osiris in his mind.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"You thinking what I'm thinking?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>About how this mafia boss and Kaneshiro may be one in the same?"</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"Yeah. It's possible… But now that I think about it, we don't even know exactly what Kaneshiro does, do we?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Not entirely. We had no reason to question Kai, and he had no reason to lie to us."</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"Yeah. Still… If we figure out what Kaneshiro's specifically guilty of, then we might be able to connect the dots tomorrow when we figure out what the mafia boss has been doing to the students."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>How do you plan on doing that, anyways?"</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"I don't know. Ask around, see if I can get a response out of someone. Might not be easy to do though…"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Do you think </strong> <em> <strong>she</strong> </em> <strong>would help you?"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">"Even if she would, I don't want her help on this. Maybe Mishima will… but I'll figure that out later. For now…"</span> Toya pulled out his phone while walking outside, calling Kai and putting his phone to his ear.</p><p><br/>"Toya?"</p><p><br/>"Kai, hey. I needed to ask you something about…" Toya looked around to make sure nobody was listening in on the conversation. "About Kaneshiro."</p><p><br/>"Now…? Okay, hang on." He heard the sound of movement, and the sound of Kai talking to someone else. It was hard to make out, but it sounded like he was trying to make an excuse to get away-presumably to avoid anyone listening in on the conversation. A few moments later, he heard the sound of a door closing. "Okay, I don't have much time, so hurry. What do you need to know?"</p><p><br/>"What exactly is it that he's doing? I know he's a mob boss and all, but what exactly does that <em>entail?</em>"</p><p><br/>"Huh…? Why do you wanna know that, of all things?"</p><p><br/>"O-Oh, you know. Maybe doing something like that will help me get… up there. You know what I mean?"</p><p><br/>"Oh! Good call. As far as I've been able to find, his biggest thing is blackmail. He convinces people-usually students around your age-to do an easy job for him for some quick money. Teenagers get caught up in the moment and don't question things… and then smuggle drugs to someone without even realizing what they're doing. He gets evidence of it and then uses it as blackmail to extort money out of them. He doesn't relent until there's no money left to gain… and then, it's straight to the next. And the next. And the next."</p><p><br/>"...Jeez… That's… I knew it'd be bad, but…"</p><p><br/>"I know. Someone like him… He can't be left to do this for as long as he wants. He just can't. Speaking of, I think I figured out a way to get in."</p><p><br/>"You did!?"</p><p><br/>"Yeah. It's a bit of a stretch, though. That world… it's made of his cognition, right? So maybe… Maybe if he <em>thinks</em> you can get in, then you'll be able to get in? That might wor—" He suddenly stopped. "Damn it, I gotta go. Take care, alright?" He abruptly hung up the phone without giving Toya a chance to say bye.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"I feel like he does that a lot. Does he do that a lot?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Yes. Onto more important things, though… If he's targeting people your age, then the chances of him being the one that Niijima mentioned are even higher."</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"Yeah… We'll figure this out."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>And what about that last part? Being able to get in if Kaneshiro </strong> <em> <strong>thinks</strong> </em> <strong>you can get in?"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">"I honestly have no idea. I'm just gonna hope I can get in without doing whatever it is Kai is suggesting…"</span> Toya started walking on, before spotting someone walking ahead.</p><p><br/>"Hey, wait up, Mishima!" He called out to him, running ahead. Mishima slowly turned around, a sad look on his face.</p><p><br/>"Oh… Hey…" Mishima muttered. "Listen, I-I'm sorry, okay!? I-I didn't mean to screw it up, and…"</p><p><br/>"Dude." He raised up one arm and placed it on Mishima's shoulder. "Breathe. It's fine."</p><p><br/>"But…"</p><p><br/>"But nothing. Besides, turns out that this whole situation might be a waste of time… in a weirdly coincidental way. So don't worry about it! Actually, I kinda need your help on something related to it."</p><p><br/>"You… need <em>my</em> help? What can I do?"</p><p><br/>"Have you heard any rumors recently, or heard anything? Anything about a guy who's been either getting or spending way more money than a usual student would?"</p><p><br/>"Uhh… Actually, yeah! There's one guy in our class who's been spending money like crazy! His name is… Iida, I think."</p><p><br/>"Seriously!? Perfect! Alright, I need your help with him tomorrow. Just try asking him about it once class ends and follow my lead!"</p><p><br/>"U-Uh, yeah! Got it!" Mishima's mood was lifted pretty quickly by that exchange. He was afraid that he had screwed things up, but… He wasn't used to the reassurance. It was a nice feeling for him. The bond between the two of them was getting closer than it was before-which both of them were fans of.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>June 15th, 20XX (Wednesday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>"P-Please, man! I-I really need the money for my family!" Mishima was practically causing a scene at the front of the room as he pleaded with Iida. Meanwhile, Toya stayed still at his seat, watching it happen.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You think this'll work?"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">"Yeah. It has to."</span> Toya got up and started walking towards the two of them, his eyes locked onto Iida.</p><p><br/>"Seriously, you don't wanna do what I do. Just trust me. You… You wouldn't be good at it."</p><p><br/>"<em>Can't be too hard to smuggle drugs, can it?" </em>Toya whispered into Iida's ear. Iida reflexively jumped and turned around in a cold sweat, being met with a cold stare from Toya.</p><p><br/>"H-How do you…?"</p><p><br/>"Come on. Let's have a talk." Toya put a hand on Iida's shoulder and started slowly walking ahead, ever so slightly turning his head to look back. "You'll come, right?"</p><p><br/>"...Fine…" Iida followed Toya out of the room, with Mishima walking by his side. Toya led the two of them up to the top floor, onto the rooftop. Just as Toya asked, Makoto was up there as well, waiting for him. "She's…!" Iida's eyes instantly locked onto Makoto once he stepped foot onto the rooftop. "H-Hey, what gives!? Why'd you bring the student council president here!?"</p><p><br/>"Who's this?" Makoto asked, looking towards Toya and Mishima. Mishima looked towards Toya for an answer, but Toya simply raised one finger up, signaling Makoto to keep quiet.</p><p><br/>"Don't worry about her. Let's talk about something else." Toya walked towards the doorway back into the school and stood in front of it, making sure that Iida couldn't get away.</p><p><br/>"...Listen, like I said… Y-You don't wanna get into this."</p><p><br/>"Before you say that, let me make sure I'm on the same page as you. You got tempted into taking an easy part-time job for good money. Without thinking or asking questions, you did exactly as you were told. Then they told you that you were actually smuggling drugs for them, and now you're being blackmailed and extorted for money. That about sums it up, right?" Iida froze up. Even Mishima and Makoto were both surprised by how upfront it is. "...I just need a yes or a no. I'm not trying to get in on your 'job'. I'm trying to shut it down."</p><p><br/>"...Even if you know all of that, it doesn't matter… There's nothing you can do to stop it."</p><p><br/>"There's a guy who's in charge of this entire thing., Do you know his name? I imagine you do, considering you're the one filling his pockets."</p><p><br/>"I-I can't tell you! If I tell you his name, then my family will-"</p><p><br/>"Junya Kaneshiro." He froze up again. "That's his name, right? You can leave if you answer honestly."</p><p><br/>"...Y-Yes…" Toya closed his eyes and smirked. He opened the door behind him and stepped to the side. Iida looked at him, then at Makoto and Mishima. Before processing anything, he ran through the door and down the stairs, trying to avoid conversation with any of them after what was ju8st exposed to the public.</p><p><br/>"There you have it. 'Junya Kaneshiro'. Happy now?" Toya said, staring at Makoto.</p><p><br/>"...H-How did you do that? How did you <em>know</em> all of that?"</p><p><br/>"I was already looking into Kaneshiro. It just so happened that his crimes lined up with what you told me yesterday."</p><p><br/>"You… You were looking into him? B-But people can't even testify against him-the police can't even get his name down! So how did…"</p><p><br/>"Let's call it magic. Either way... I'm already in the process of dealing with Kaneshiro. Things have been slow, but I just need to figure out one more thing before I can change his heart."</p><p><br/>"And… What is that?" Makoto asked, a curious and dumbfounded look on her face.</p><p><br/>"With all due disrespect… You're going to be useless when it comes to that. Just sit back and let me handle things. You can just… I don't know. Do anything else—preferably something that doesn't involve me."</p><p><br/>That hurt.</p><p><br/>Makoto couldn't explain it, but hearing that… It hurt her. It made her feel horrible. She did everything she could to hide how she felt, but that wasn't exactly easy for her.</p><p><br/>"Come on, Mishima. Let's get going."</p><p><br/>"R-Right!" Mishima felt like he didn't actually need to be there for that. Not only that, but… He felt bad for Makoto. Toya was a lot different around her. A lot meaner. But regardless of that, he followed Toya off of the rooftop and back into the school.</p><p><br/><span class="u">"Useless…?"</span> Makoto held her hands out. <span class="u">"No… There's no way I can just be useless… R-Right…?"</span><br/><br/></p><hr/><p>
  <em>Toya: "Things have been slow, but I just need to figure out one more thing before I can change his heart."</em>
</p><p>
  <em><br/>Toya: "With all due disrespect… You're going to be useless when it comes to that."</em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"...I'll figure something out… I can do <em>something…</em>I know it."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Wanted this chapter to be longer, but I wanted to post something today, and my sleep schedule is really bad, sooo... Here you go. I'm gonna try to get next chapter out sooner, though. I feel like I could have skipped this one and nothing would have really changed... Oh well.</p><p>Also it's been a really long time since I've posted Toya's Confidants. This is mostly because... Well to be honest, mostly because I'm really lazy. Here you go. And--remember, people aren't supposed to match what they are in the original game. Toya and Ren are different people, so them having the same confidants/arcanas as each other wouldn't really make sense in my eyes. These corresponding Arcanas, to me, match up much better to how Toya sees these people.</p><p> </p><p>Osiris [The JESTER] - Rank 3<br/>Ren Amamiya [The FOOL] - Rank 1<br/>Takuto Maruki [The EMPEROR] - Rank 2<br/>Yuuki Mishima [WHEEL OF FORTUNE] - Rank 3<br/>Ryuji Sakamoto [STRENGTH] - Rank 1<br/>Eishi Kazero [DEATH] - Rank 5<br/>Goro Akechi [The SUN] - Rank 1<br/>Kai Kazero [JUDGEMENT] - Rank 4</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Vigilante</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Normally, I'd accept the blame for missing an upload for a week and a half.</p><p>But this time, it's different. For reference, I live in New York. And recently, we got FUCKED by a hurricane, and I lost electricity for about 50 hours. I wanted to die that entire time. That is my excuse for missing this chapter for so long.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>June 20th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Lunchtime - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>After about half of a week had passed… no noteworthy progress had been made. There was no real way around the roadblock that had presented itself in front of Toya.</p><p><br/>Kaneshiro's bank was floating up in the air. It's not like he could fly, so he had no way of getting up there. The grappling hook that he had ordered came in, and he attempted using that to get up there. But, of course… That wasn't going to work. There was no way he could reach that high up with a grappling hook. He even tried getting on top of buildings to shorten the distance between him and the bank, but even that wasn't enough. On his own, there was no way for him to actually get anything done.</p><p><br/>Having exhausted all of his other options, he had to turn to his brother for help. He remembered what Kai had said about 'changing Kaneshiro's mind' to change his Palace, but Toya had no idea how exactly to do that. Kai wasn't exactly sure either. Luckily for him, Kai had today off, so Toya just had to wait until school came to an end.</p><p><br/>"Hey, do you have any plans today after school's over?" Mishima asked him, as the two ate lunch together. It was a friendship that was on an awkward foundation, but Toya didn't mind that, and if anything it made Mishima even more eager.</p><p><br/>"Yeah. Me and my brother are gonna try figuring out how the hell we're gonna deal with… you-know-who."</p><p><br/>"Wait, your brother? He knows about that!? I-I thought he was a cop!" Mishima's shocked voice alerted the people around them, but he was doing a better job at not blurting out what exactly they were talking about. Then again, it also helped that nobody necessarily cared about what Mishima had to say.</p><p><br/>"He is. He's known for a while. Believe it or not, he's actually the entire reason that you-know-who was already relevant to me, before Niijima ever opened her mouth."</p><p><br/>"Wow… So wait, what exactly do you need help with? Is there something different about him?"</p><p><br/>"Kinda… It's complicated. I don't think I could really explain it… especially not at school."</p><p><br/>"Let me come with you then! Maybe I can help?"</p><p><br/>"Uhh… Well, I guess there's no harm in it. Sure, why not? He's picking me up when class is over, so just follow me, alright?" As he spoke, he heard the warning bell ring, signaling that classes would resume in a few minutes. "You go on ahead. I gotta head to the bathroom." Mishima nodded off and started walking towards the classroom, while Toya split off and went the other way, walking towards the bathroom. Before stepping in, he turned his head to make sure Mishima wasn't looking. He then stepped inside and walked into a stall, taking out his phone and calling his brother.</p><p><br/>"Hello?"</p><p><br/>"Hey, Kai. Something uhh… Something kinda came up."</p><p><br/>"...Kinda? What do you mean?"</p><p><br/>"You remember how I told you about me and my friend getting interrogated by the student council president, right?"</p><p><br/>"Yeah, why?"</p><p><br/>"My friend wants to come with us today. He wants to see if he can somehow help with figuring out how to deal with Kaneshiro."</p><p><br/>"I don't see how he can help, but… I guess it can't hurt to bring him along."</p><p><br/>"I thought the same thing. But… Well, there's one thing you need to know."</p><p><br/>"Hm? And what is that?"</p><p><br/>"He doesn't… know that I'm not really the one responsible. Neither does the student council president. They think I'm the real one."</p><p><br/>"...You haven't told them yet?"</p><p><br/>"I can't. Especially… Especially not Mishima. I mean… with everything that happened with Kamoshida… he thinks I'm his hero for that situation ending the way it did. If I told him it was all a lie… I don't know how he'd react to that, but it wouldn't be good. It definitely wouldn't be good." A long sigh came from Kai.</p><p><br/>"I got it. I'll play along with things. But you can't just lie to him forever. He's gonna find out eventually, especially if you make enemies with the Thieves. If he's gonna find out… It'd be better if he heard it from you."</p><p><br/>"...Yeah, I know. I gotta go-class is gonna start in a minute. See you later." Toya hung up the phone and put it in his pocket, closing his eyes and walking out of the bathroom.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Any idea what you're gonna do about that?"</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"</span>
  <span class="u">No, not really. I'm not sure how I can exactly <em>plan </em>for that…"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"</span>
  <span class="u"><strong>Just… Make sure you don't take </strong> <em> <strong>too</strong> </em> <strong>long. The sooner, the better."</strong> </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"</span>
  <span class="u">Yeah yeah, I know… Let's just get through the rest of the day first."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>June 20th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Shibuya (Accessway)</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Once classes had ended, Toya and Mishima went with Kai to Shibuya, where they waited at the accessway above the station, looking down at Central Street from above.</p><p><br/>"S-So, um… What do we do?" Mishima asked, curiously tilting his head.</p><p><br/>"How do I explain this… Okay, so basically, I need to get into Kaneshiro's head. It's like… mental warfare, in a way. If I can get into his head and make him realize that everything he's doing is wrong and make him feel guilty for it, then he'll confess all of his crimes." Toya did his best to explain it without actually bringing up the Metaverse directly, as that would most likely go right over Mishima's head.</p><p><br/>"But there's stopping him from going in. It's like a… mental block that prevents him from realizing that he's wrong. Our goal is to figure out how to get past it." Kai was able to along with the explanation Toya had made up fairly well. "But… That's easier said than done. The best way to do that is by talking to Kaneshiro directly, but we have no idea where he is. Also, going to see a mob boss directly sounds… Really stupid. So we're kind of stuck."</p><p><br/>"Well, we'll probably just have to say screw it and figure out how to go see him directly. He targets students, right? Maybe I can bait someone in and figure out how to get to Kaneshiro that way…" Toya pondered the idea, before suddenly spotting someone walking towards him. "Oh my god here we go…" He rolled his eyes and put his hands in his pockets, looking towards the person walking in his direction. "And what, pray tell, do <em>you</em> want, Miss President?"</p><p><br/>"Nothing in particular. I just saw you two together here." Her eyes were directed at Toya and Mishima as she said that, and then they moved towards Kai. "...I'm not sure we've met."</p><p><br/>"Don't mind me. I'm just here to watch over my little brother while you lead him onto this wild goose chase." Kai tilted his head. "...I didn't realize that it would be <em>you</em>, though. I guess it checks out."</p><p><br/>"And what do you mean by that?" She responded, a scowl on her face.</p><p><br/>"Disregarding justice to get something done that you want. It's something I've seen your sister do once or twice. Runs in the Niijima blood, doesn't it?"</p><p><br/>"That's…" She wanted to be angry about that. In fact, she <em>was</em> angry about it. But she couldn't actually respond to what was said. In reality… it was true. She had to accept that fact, regardless of how badly she didn't want to. Kai was much more aggressive than Toya ever was towards her. "Disregarding justice… So you're aware of what your brother is up to during his spare time?"</p><p><br/>"We've been working on the Kaneshiro case together long before you tried pushing it on him. We're in the middle of figuring out what to do next. So if you wanna turn around and go somewhere you won't be completely useless… We'd appreciate it."</p><p><br/>"Useless?" Makoto took a step back and recalled a painful memory from a talk with her sister.</p><p><br/>"...Honestly? Yeah. My brother might be a bit more upfront about things… But you really have only gotten in my way when it comes to taking down Kaneshiro. Hell, If I didn't have to worry about you breathing down my neck so often, I'd probably be past this roadblock by now, and knee deep into Kaneshiro's mind. Instead, I'm here dealing with you, questioning when the hell it's gonna end." Makoto looked down. She struggled to get a word out. Between recalling what her sister said, and what Toya and Kai were saying to her… She was getting emotionally overwhelmed to an extent. Though, she had to force herself to speak up-to get something done.</p><p><br/>"So you wish to get in contact with Kaneshiro. That <em>is</em> what you were just discussing, weren't you? It seemed you just needed to find out where he is."</p><p><br/>"...Yeah, something along those lines. What's it to you?" Toya crossed his arms as Makoto covered her face with her hands and mumbled something under her breath.</p><p><br/>"Fine. I'll help you meet Kaneshiro." She turned her head and walked away.</p><p><br/>"Uhh.. Sh-Shouldn't we make sure she doesn't do anything reckless?" Mishima said, being the only one to show any sign of concern for Makoto's well being.</p><p><br/>"Oh, please. There is literally nothing she can do at this point involving us that could get her into trouble-save for walking up to Kaneshiro's men and getting dragged off by them." Kai said with closed eyes. He didn't really believe Makoto to be the type of person to do anything reckless like that from the first impression, though there was an underlying concern in his mind. Suddenly, Toya felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.</p><p><br/>"Who's calling me-" He took his phone out of his pocket and checked the number. He didn't recognize who it could be, but answered the call anyways. "Uh… Hello?"</p><p><br/>"Hello? It's me… Makoto Niijima."</p><p><br/>"Okay, I get that you've been stalking me for the past few weeks and all, but WHEN and HOW did you get my phone number!? Not even Mishima knows my number yet!"</p><p><br/>"Just stay on the phone and listen. Make sure you record the call as well." He heard the sound of footsteps coming from her side of the call. "Do you guys know Kaneshiro? I heard I could find someone named Kaneshiro if I came to Central Street."</p><p><br/>"Uhh… K-Kai?"</p><p><br/>"What is it?"</p><p><br/>"...She's literally walking up to Kaneshiro's men right now."</p><p><br/>"Oh for the love of-Where is she!?"</p><p><br/>"She said she's on Central Street! Come on, let's go!" Toya started running towards Central Street, with Kai and Mishima running behind him, Mishima trailing behind them. When they got to ground level, Toya and Mishmia kept running for Central Street, while Kai turned the other way and ran towards his car.</p><p><br/>"He said get the fuck in!" Toya heard someone yell, and then heard the sound of someone get pushed. He grit his teeth and started running faster, before seeing two people get into a black car. It was hard to tell, but he could just barely make out Makoto's hair from the window on the back of the car. They started driving off before Toya could do anything to them, though. It's not like there was much he <em>could</em> do regardless. "Contact Kaneshiro. Tell him we got a good one."</p><p><br/>"I guess we can't do anythin' to her if she's Kaneshiro's customer." He heard the two people who got into the car talk about Makoto and Kaneshiro, but he had no idea what 'customer' meant.</p><p><br/>"H-Hey, what're we gonna do!?" Mishima asked nervously. Before Toya could answer, the sound of a car pulling up and stopping next to them filled their ears. They turned around and saw Kai through the window.</p><p><br/>"Get in! We're going after them!"</p><p><br/>"Right! Mishima, come on!"</p><p><br/>"O-Okay!" Toya quickly hopped into the passenger's seat while Mishima got in the back. As soon as they were in the car, Kai started driving off, while Toya told him which way they went.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>June 20th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Kaneshiro's Club (Outside)</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>The sun was setting. It took most of the day to get back to Kaneshiro's club. As soon as they were outside, the first thing that they saw was the black car that they were following. This was the place, the three of them were all aware of that much.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"You ready to do something stupid?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>While it wouldn't be the first time you did something stupid… I struggle to understand why you'd do something stupid for the girl you seem to hate."</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"It's not about that. It's just… Even if she gets on my nerves, I can't just let her get wrapped up in whatever this is. And I mean… This is a mob boss who black mails students by having them traffic drugs. I don't want to imagine what someone like him would do to a teenage girl… Hell, Kamoshida was enough."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>...If you insist. I won't stop you, but just make sure you know what you're getting yourself into."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">"</span><span class="u">Trust me. I'm very aware."</span> Toya reached into his bag and pulled his bandana out. He stared at it and thought back to his father for a moment, closing his eyes.</p><p><br/>"...You're gonna do what I think you're gonna do, aren't you?" Kai asked, staring at Toya as he held the bandana. "I'm sure dad would be proud of you for being brave, but he'd be disappointed if you went into something without realizing how dangerous it was."</p><p><br/>"I know. But I'm gonna make him proud. I know it." He clenched his bandana tightly before tying it around the bottom half of his face. He opened the car door and stepped outside. "You should get out of here. I feel like things will get ugly if they realize there are cops here."</p><p><br/>"If I leave, then how do you plan on getting away?"</p><p><br/>"Don't you remember? I have the ultimate getaway tool." He took out his phone and started waving his phone back and forth. The two of them nodded at each other, and Toya began closing the car door. But as soon as he did, another car door opened, and Mishima stepped out. "...Mishima? What're you-"</p><p><br/>"I-I wanna help, in whatever way I can!"</p><p><br/>"...You realize that what you're saying is really dangerous, right? There's no guarantee that I can protect you. You might get hurt."</p><p><br/>"I… I really wanna help. I mean… I feel like I've done nothing, and you did so much… I mean, you even dealt with Kamoshida and everything!"<br/><br/></p><hr/><p>
  <em>Kai: "You can't just lie to him forever. He's gonna find out eventually, especially if you make enemies with the Thieves. If he's gonna find out… It'd be better if he heard it from you."</em>
</p><hr/><p><br/>"...Alright. You can come, but you need to follow my lead. Alright?"</p><p><br/>"Y-Yeah! Absolutely!" Mishima looked surprised that Toya accepted the offer, but he was really happy. But when Toya turned his head, and his eyes met Kai's for a moment… He saw concern. Kai's concern for the lie that was still going on. He couldn't worry about that right now though-he had to push that thought back. There was something more important at hand that he had to deal with. Mishima got next to Toya, and Kai drove off.</p><p><br/>The two of them walked forward, but only far enough to see what was happening at the entrance to the club. There was someone standing in front of it-someone who probably wouldn't just let the two of them walk in. It looked like one of the people who were in the car with Makoto, but it was hard to tell. Nevertheless, he was in their way, and had to be dealt with.</p><p><br/>"How do we deal with him? Do we wanna just rush him?"</p><p><br/>"No, that's too risky. We'll cause a scene, and there's probably more people inside. Instead…" Toya stepped away and created distance from Mishima, crouching down to try and hide. "Get his attention. If he comes after you, I'll catch him by surprise."</p><p><br/>"G-Get his attention!? How do you want me to do that!?"</p><p><br/>"I don't know-throw something at him."</p><p><br/>"O-Okay!" Mishima reached into his pocket and pulled out a pencil. "W-What if I miss?"</p><p><br/>"You don't need to hurt him, just get his attention! If you have more, then throw more!" Mishima took a deep breath and stared at the pencil. His arms and legs were both shaky. He didn't realize how nerve wracking this would be when he said he wanted to help, but… He had a promise to keep. For just a brief moment, he stopped trembling and lifted the pencil into the air, throwing it in the general direction of the person at the entrance.</p><p><br/>"Ah! What the hell was-" The guard was caught by surprise. He felt something hit his leg, and while it didn't hurt, it definitely caught him by surprise. He looked down and saw something at his feet. He picked it up and saw that it was just an ordinary pencil. "Alright, who the fuck is pullin' this shit? Huh!?" He looked around for a moment until he saw someone's arm poke out of a corner, as they threw another pencil at him. This one didn't hit-but it still pissed him off. "You're fuckin' DEAD, you hear me!?" The guard rushed towards where he saw the arm. Toya nervously looked at Mishima and started slowly stepping back, trembling. The guard turned the corner and saw Mishima standing there. "You messed with the wrong guy, kid." He cracked his knuckles, before feeling something poke his shoulder. "The hell is-UGH!" Before he could even finish turning his head, Toya punched him right in his face. He wasn't prepared for that at all, and stumbled back because of it. "Hey! Who the hell do you think you are!? I'll kill both of you, damn it!" He reached into his pocket for something, but before he could even pull anything out, Toya rushed in again, punching the guard in his gut. He staggered in pain and started stepping back again, but was met with another punch to the face before he could even step away. This time he was knocked straight to the ground, laying on his side with an angry look on his face as he started pushing himself up.</p><p><br/>"<em>Do the smart thing and stay down next time.</em>" Toya spoke in an obscured voice, before kicking the guard as he was trying to pick himself up, once again hitting him right in the face. The guard's eyes closed.</p><p><br/>"Th-That was AWESOME! How did you-"</p><p><br/>"<em>No time! We gotta get moving quick, he won't be down forever!" </em>Toya started running towards the club with Mishima following behind. The two of them stopped at the entrance, as Toya looked towards Mishima. "<em>You need to stay out here. You don't have anything covering your face… Don't want Kaneshiro getting a look at you. Just stay out here and wait, alright?"</em></p><p><br/>"O… Okay. Be careful though, alright?"</p><p><br/>"<em>I'll be fine." </em>Toya tightened his bandana and slowly stepped inside.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You sure you'll be okay in there?"</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"You're here if I need the help, right?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Always."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">"</span><span class="u">Then yeah. I'm sure."</span> Toya kept going forward, before suddenly hearing a voice.</p><p><br/>"So, whose number is this? Your boyfriend?" Toya got a look at the room before he stepped in. There were 5 people in there already. Makoto was on the floor struggling as someone kept her pinned down, who Toya recognized as the other person in the car. There was another guy sitting down on the table next to him. But behind him were two people, one was a girl, and the other was a guy who stuck out-the guy whose voice he heard. There was no doubt in Toya's mind. That <em>had</em> to be Kaneshiro.</p><p><br/>"<em>I get that mob bosses are supposed to be scum of the world and all…"</em> Toya walked forward, still trying to alter his voice. "<em>But Christ, I didn't expect you to be </em><em><strong>this</strong></em> <em>ugly." </em></p><p><br/>"Who the fuck are you!?" The man holding Makoto down said in an angry voice. She looked up at Toya-even with the bandana, she could recognize him by his hair and his eyes.</p><p><br/>"<em>Worry about what's gonna happen to you if you don't get off of her. Unless you want a repeat of what happened to the guy waiting outside, that is." </em></p><p><br/>"You got followed, you dumbshits!" Kaneshiro's comically small face trying to look menacing almost got a laugh out of Toya-if he wasn't in the situation he was in, he would probably be hysterical by now.</p><p><br/>"<em>It should have been obvious from the get-go that it was a bait. Lucky for me, you guys were too stupid to realize what was happening."</em></p><p><br/>"You little piece of-" The man restraining Makoto ran towards Toya, completely disregarding Makoto for a moment in blind rage. He clenched a fist and tried to hit Toya, but Toya simply dodged out of the way.</p><p><br/>"<em>Bad call." </em>He grabbed onto the man's arm, then used his free arm to hit him in the eyes with his elbow, immediately following up with a knee to his gut. He let out a gasp of pain, before Toya simply grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him aside. He collided with the wall and collapsed onto the ground.</p><p><br/>"Goddamn brat… sniffing around like a dog and barging in here like you own the joint! Do you know how much brats like you piss me off!?"</p><p><br/>"<em>That's real rich, coming from the guy who had a minor pinned to the floor a minute ago." </em>Toya reached down and got Makoto on her feet again.</p><p><br/>"Hey, boss! I got something!" Toya's eyes widened in shock. He recognized that voice. It was the man from earlier, the one he had knocked down outside. He walked into the room-and he was gripping Mishima by his hair, practically dragging him across the floor. He instantly glared at Toya. "These two brats ambushed me together outside."</p><p><br/>"Is that so…" Kaneshiro chuckled, staring at the three students in Shujin uniforms. He took out his phone, taking a picture of them. "Oh, damn! I wanted to remember the moment of you three here, but I think I got some booze and cigs in the shot. I think there's even some drugs there, too."</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>He's a real piece of work, isn't he?"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>"You two." Kaneshiro was talking to his men now. "The kid in the bandana… Do whatever you want to him. Leave the other two out of this." They snickered under their breath, and started closing in on Toya.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>The one holding Mishima! Get him first!"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">"</span><span class="u">On it!"</span> He quickly turned around, his eyes locked onto the person behind him that was holding Mishima. He was already softened up from last time, so taking him down one more time wouldn't be hard at all. He let go of Mishima and rushed forward without thinking… which didn't surprise Toya in the slightest. As he tried punching him, Toya grabbed onto his fist, squeezing it tightly.</p><p><br/>"<em>So telegraphed. Could you at least pretend to know what you're doing?" </em>Toya reeled his head back and smirked, before suddenly coming crashing forward, headbutting the person whose fist he was holding onto. He let go of him as soon as his head made contact, as the man was sent tumbling back and falling to the ground.</p><p><br/>"Hya!" Toya suddenly heard Makoto's voice for the first time since he got here. He turned around and saw Makoto with one arm out… and the other guy sprawled out on the floor.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"Since when the hell can SHE fight!?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"</span>
  <span class="u"><strong>Works for you, doesn't it?"</strong> </span>
</p><p><br/>"Tch… Goddamn brats… You have any idea who I am!? I can ruin your families, easy!"</p><p><br/>"<em>I'd say I'd ruin you first…" </em>Toya rushed in faster than Kaneshiro could react to. He grabbed the hand that Kaneshiro held his phone in, while staring dead in his eyes. "<em>But you were ugly as hell to begin with." </em>With his free hand, he let out one last punch, this one directed straight at Kaneshiro. The force was enough to cause Kaneshiro's grip on his phone to loosen, as Toya grabbed it for himself. "<em>Show's over, fatass!" </em>Toya put Kaneshiro's phone in his pocket. "<em>You two! Let's get the hell outta here!" </em>Toya yelled out to Makoto and Mishima as he ran out of the club, the two of them following close behind. Kaneshiro had a furious look on his face.</p><p><br/>"YOU THREE!" He yelled at his men, who were starting to come to their senses. "Get the hell up… AND KILL THAT GOD FORSAKEN PUNK!"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Seriously, Kaneshiro is SO GODDAMN UGLY. JESUS, DUDE. </p><p>I saw a couple of people question why Akechi's responding Arcana is The Sun. Allow me to explain really quick:</p><p>The Sun represents things like positivity, fun, and overall just being full of life. Does this fit Akechi, who we know as someone who is secretly a psychotic serial killer hellbent on revenge against his father? Absolutely not. I won't even try defending it.</p><p>But what you need to understand is that these are TOYA'S Confidants. As a result, these are how TOYA sees them, NOT us. And, at the moment, Toya doesn't know Akechi is a maniac. With that in mind, the description of The Sun fits what Toya--and realistically, everyone in the story at this point, knows Akechi as. Hopefully that makes sense!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Doubt</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm gonna start answering questions at the beginning of chapters rather than at the end, just for future reference. I'm also gonna start putting my Twitter at the end of every chapter because I'm using it way more often than I used to. </p><p>"So Akechi's Arcana is gonna change to Justice when his true personality is revealed?"</p><p>I don't know if it'll be Justice, buuut... </p><p>We'll get there when we get there.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>June 20th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Evening - Shibuya</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>They ran. And ran. And kept on running. The moon was the only thing lighting their path, and the club was far out of sight. The three of them were completely out of breath, with Makoto and Mishima barely able to even move anymore, let alone run.</p><p><br/>"We're… We're far away enough… right…?" Mishima took ragged breaths, his hands on his knees as he desperately hoped they were safe.</p><p><br/>"Yeah… Yeah, we're fine. I doubt they're still after us." Toya took a deep breath and closed his eyes, before reaching behind his head and untying his bandana. He slowly stuffed it in his pocket and turned around, opening his eyes and looking at the two of them, then specifically looking at Makoto. "...I didn't expect that out of you."</p><p><br/>"...You mean something reckless?"</p><p><br/>"Moreso something <em>human.</em> You acted by-the-book for so long, it was almost as if you were a robot stuck inside of a human's body. Then, all of a sudden, you went and did something like that. Something that made absolutely no logical sense. Something… emotional. Why make such a drastic change?"</p><p><br/>"I'm so sorry… I was… I was stupid. I was so caught up in trying to be useful… Instead I just caused trouble. Both for the two of you, and Sis…"</p><p><br/>"Your sister?"</p><p><br/>"My older sister has a commendable job, and she's a much more remarkable person than me… A lot happened after we lost our father three years ago, so it's just us living together… But I'm still a child, so all I am is a burden to her…"</p><p><br/>"..." Toya shifted his eyes away. The two of them couldn't find another word to say. The atmosphere had become much heavier than it was before, now that Toya had a better understanding of what kind of person Makoto was. He realized now that she wasn't just an emotionless robot… She was human, flesh and blood. Just like he was.</p><p><br/>"H-Hey, guys…? W-We got trouble!" Mishima called out, taking a step back and looking behind them. Toya and Makoto took a closer look and saw Kaneshiro's men, still following them after all this time.</p><p><br/>"Oh, give me a break! They're still on our tail!?" Toya looked around. He knew that Mishima and Makoto were way too winded to outrun them anymore, and that they'd either slow him down or just get caught. But there was something else Toya could do... something that would get them out of this.. To his left, there was an alleyway. It was empty, and looked like nothing more than a complete dead end… To other people, it <em>was</em> just a dead end.</p><p><br/>Time started slowing down. Toya could see the angry looks on the faces of the people chasing after him. He could also see the terrified look on Mishima's face, as well as the concerned and dejected expression on Makoto's. But he had faith in himself. He knew he could get them out of harm's way.</p><p><br/>"Grab onto each other's hands, and RUN! This way!" He yelled at the two of them, making a dash into the alleyway. Mishima and Makoto were too startled to object, so they quickly clasped their hands and followed him.</p><p><br/>"H-Hey, this is a dead end! What're we-"</p><p><br/>"Trust me!" He yelled back to Mishima, quickly pulling his phone out of his pocket and opening the Nav app. He made a quick stop and turned around, still gripping his phone tightly with one hand and grabbing onto Mishima's arm with the other. "Close your eyes and don't let go, got it!?" He tapped his phone screen with his thumb and closed his eyes. Suddenly, for a brief moment, Makoto and Mishima both felt a horrible headache… as the world around them began distorting, and turning into something entirely different.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>June 20th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Evening - Kaneshiro's Bank (Central Street)</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Once the headache finally passed, Mishima and Makoto both opened their eyes… and they were met with something that shocked them in ways that they could never even dream to express. The ground at their feet, the sky above their heads, and the buildings surrounding them on all sides… All of a sudden, they were different. They were similar, but there was something different about it. Even the air they were breathing felt off.</p><p><br/>"What… What is…?"</p><p><br/>"WHERE THE HECK ARE WE!?" Makoto's reserved voice was completely overshadowed by Mishima's screams.</p><p><br/>"You're gonna attract the monsters if you're <em>that</em> loud, Mishima. I know it's a lot to take in at all…" Makoto and Mishima turned towards Toya, who had his back to them. Not only that—but his clothing was completely different now, too. His school uniform was gone, and in its place was outlandish attire-something no teenager would randomly be wearing. Hr was dressed up like a superhero, or rather, a vigilante. It was fitting for what both Mishima and Makoto knew, to be fair. "...But at least try, alright?"</p><p><br/>"T-Toya!? What the heck are you wearing!?" Mishima tried making sense of the situation, which was… about as hard as one would expect, given what he and Makoto were seeing. "A-And what do you mean, monsters!? Where even are we!?"</p><p><br/>"One thing at a time… One thing at a time. Everything'll be fine if you just stay close to me. As for where we are…" Toya paused and looked up to the sky. He took a deep breath. "You remember what I told you about 'getting in Kaneshiro's head', right? I'm sure you overheard it too, Niijima."</p><p><br/>"I did. But this… Wait, are you saying that we're currently-?"</p><p><br/>"In Kaneshiro's head… in a much more literal way than you thought. This world shows what Kaneshiro thinks of the city… and regular people like us are nothing more than..." Toya slowly looked back down to ground level, almost immediately finding a broken ATM on the ground. "Just money to him. <em>That's </em>why I'm trying to take him down."</p><p><br/>"I thought your brother said something about a mental block that wasn't allowing you to get in, though?"</p><p><br/>"Getting into the world itself has no mental block. The only thing stopping me from getting to Kaneshiro is… Well, <em>that</em>." Toya pointed up to the sky. Makoto and Mishima walked towards him and followed his finger with their eyes, only to see a massive bank floating in mid air, even higher up than the buildings that were surrounding them. "I can do a lot of things. But flying… That's not one of them. Hell, my brother even bought me a damn grappling hook to try and get up there. Watch." Toya walked into the middle of the street and made a fist with his right arm, the one he was using to point at the bank. Then, something shot straight out of the purple attachment that was on his wrist. It started ripping through the air, making way for the bank that was up in the sky… but fell short. It shot out pretty far, but it didn't even come close to reaching the bank. "I even tried getting on top of buildings to get in closer, but… It's still not enough."</p><p><br/>"So why did you think messing with Kaneshiro in the real world would change this? It has to do with this being the world... inside of his head, I presume?"</p><p><br/>"You catch on quick. Yeah, it's something like that. We thought that, maybe if Kaneshiro <em>thought</em> we could get in, then we'd be able to get in. But as you can see, that's not…" Makoto and Mishima both started walking towards him, and the bank started to… descend. "...That's... new…" All of their eyes were glued onto the bank, before a bridge seemingly materialized out of nowhere, coming down from the bank to ground level, right at their feet. "...So it worked when you two walked up…?"</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Kaneshiro never saw </strong> <em> <strong>your</strong> </em> <strong>face. He saw theirs. By that logic, it makes sense that the bridge would only appear for them, and not for you. Wouldn't it?"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">"Yeah… Good point…"</span> Toya looked up at the bank. He finally had a way to enter after all this time, but by the sounds of things… He would still need their help to get in. But it was progress… They could finally do something.</p><p><br/>"Well, there's your way up. Are we going?" Makoto asked, turning her head towards Toya.</p><p><br/>"You're insane if you think going in there right now is a good idea. The two of you could barely even run anymore in the real world, so you probably wouldn't last a minute up there. Besides…" Toya shifted his attention towards Mishima, who had the same dumbfounded look on his face for a few minutes now. "...I don't think he's ready to see anything else of this world tonight."</p><p><br/>"Well, then what are you going to do? You can't get in there alone, can you?"</p><p><br/>"I'll be waiting at the school gate tomorrow once classes are over. If you're sure you wanna do this… Then you'll find me there. For today… Let's just get out of here." Makoto nodded. Mishima did too, but… Well, there were a lot of things going through his head. He just wanted things to be done, so he was more than happy to go home.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>June 20th, 20XX (Monday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Evening - Shibuya</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>The three of them left the Metaverse and came back to the real world. At this point, Kaneshiro's guards were completely gone, leaving the streets completely empty. Makoto and Mishima were both still unsure of what they had seen, but they were just glad that the weird part of the day was over. The three of them began walking home together, as Toya did his best to continue explaining the Metaverse to him. Osiris had to do his best to help him explain, of course.</p><p><br/>"An entire world based on cognition… and a study about it called cognitive psience…? I've seen it for my own eyes, so I can't doubt it… but..." Makoto closed her eyes, as she made another attempt to wrap her head around it.</p><p><br/>"You're gonna hurt your head trying to make sense out of a real-life fairy tale, you know. All you can really do is accept that it exists… And make use of it however you can." Toya put his hands behind his head while walking alongside them. "How about you, Mishima? You've been pretty quiet since we even went there."</p><p><br/>"I'm… kinda at a loss here. I think this is a bit too much for me." Mishima spoke in a tired voice, yawning and looking down. "I think I'll just leave this to you. You already took down Kamoshida and Madarame by yourself, didn't you? There's no way some schmuck like Kaneshiro can stop you!" Toya froze up.</p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <em>Kai: "You can't just lie to him forever. He's gonna find out eventually, especially if you make enemies with the Thieves."</em>
</p><hr/><p> </p><p>"..." Toya stood still for a few seconds before Mishima and Makoto looked back at him.</p><p><br/>"Hey… You okay, man?" Mishima asked in a concerned tone.</p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <em>Kai: "If he's gonna find out… It'd be better if he heard it from you."</em>
</p><hr/><p> </p><p>"...Hey. Mishima." Toya's upbeat voice suddenly shifted in tone. "There's… There's something I've gotta tell you. Something… I've needed to tell you for a while."</p><p><br/>"Huh? Uhh, sure… What's up?"</p><p><br/>"Taking down Kamoshida, and Madarame… I'm not fully responsible for those. There's… another group of people."</p><p><br/>"Another group…? Wait, you mean there are more Phantom Thieves out there!? You've got a team!?"</p><p><br/>"A team? No, I-"</p><p><br/>"That's incredible! If you have a full team of people, then there's no way Kaneshiro stands a chance! You guys will mop the floor with that guy?"</p><p><br/>"It's not like that!" Toya shouted, overpowering Mishima's voice and shattering the happiness he had felt at the thought of more Phantom Thieves. "The other group… <em>They're</em> the Phantom Thieves. And I'm… I'm just some guy who can do something similar. I was there when they changed Kamoshida's heart, and Madarame's… But I'm not the one responsible for it." Mishima took a very slow step back.</p><p><br/>"...Then… Why'd you tell me it was you…?"</p><p><br/>"I was covering for them. I didn't… I didn't want anyone else to know who they are. So I figured, if you thought it was me… Then it'd be a lot harder to pin the crimes on the real people. Hell, they don't even <em>like</em> me… They don't like the mask, and they don't even know who's underneath it. They just… They don't even want me around."</p><p><br/>"...You lied to me… for months…?" Those words felt like a stab through the heart. Toya recoiled a bit from the sheer emotional pain in Mishima's voice. It felt like it traveled through the air and hit him head on.</p><p><br/>"...I'm sorry. I just…" Toya tried to look at Mishima, but Mishima turned around, and started to run. "M-Mishima, wait! Don't..." Mishima didn't even acknowledge what he was saying. He just kept going. Not looking back, or even considering the option. He just went on. "...God… Damn it..." He clenched his hand into a fist and banged it against his leg. "...I'm sorry for lying to you, too. For whatever my apology is worth…" He began walking forward.</p><p><br/>"Are you gonna run after him?"</p><p><br/>"I think… I think I'm the last person he wants to see right now. I'm just gonna go home and lay down. It's… been a long day for all three of us. I'll still be waiting by the school gate if you wanna go back tomorrow. If not… Well, maybe I'll figure something out."</p><p><br/>"O-Okay." Makoto nodded her head as Toya walked away. She took a deep, deep breath. Her head couldn't handle emotions that well on a regular day, so to see all of that after a day that was as hectic as that… It was a bit much for her. She started to walk forward some time after Toya was out of sight.</p><p><br/><span class="u">"So the actual Phantom Thieves are still at large… Then, who could they be? They must attend Shujin, if Toya was willing to cover for them. But…"</span> She continued pondering this on her way home. There was a lot for her to think about at this point… A lot of things to consider. A part of her wanted to focus on finding who the real Phantom Thieves are, but at the same time… Her biggest priority was still stopping Kaneshiro. There was definitely a part of her that thought that just having Toya would be more than enough to stop him, just from the small bit that she had seen already. But it was too early to tell. For now, she just had to get home, and figure out her plan tomorrow.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>June 21st, 20XX (Tuesday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>The next school day came and went. Mishima hadn't even so much as looked at Toya all day, let alone responded to him. It hurt Toya… But he couldn't imagine how hurt Mishima felt by everything that had happened. He just had to accept it.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>He'll come around, Jester. Maybe not now… But at some point."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">"Things are gonna be really lonely until then…"</span> He walked outside to get a breath of fresh air, but as soon as he did, he saw Makoto there, waiting for him.</p><p><br/>"You're late. I was starting to think you weren't going to show up."</p><p><br/>"I'm surprised to see you at all. I didn't think you'd actually show up after everything that happened last night."</p><p><br/>"Regardless of who you are or aren't… You can still deal with Kaneshiro, can't you?"</p><p><br/>"Well yeah, but—"</p><p><br/>"Then that's all that matters. So long as Kaneshiro is brought to justice… I don't care who the real Phantom Thieves are."</p><p><br/>"Is that so…" Toya couldn't help but smirk. Something about that made him happy. Maybe it was just the fact that he was happy not to be alone, or that <em>someone</em> could still depend on him. Whatever it was… the truth stood that it made him a bit happier, which he was more than thankful for. "Let's go, then."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Back to action next chapter!</p><p>Toya's Confidants:</p><p>Osiris [The JESTER] - Rank 3<br/>Ren Amamiya [The FOOL] - Rank 1<br/>Takuto Maruki [The EMPEROR] - Rank 2<br/>Makoto Niijima [The CHARIOT] - Rank 1<br/>Yuuki Mishima [WHEEL OF FORTUNE] - Rank 0 (DOUBT)<br/>Ryuji Sakamoto [STRENGTH] - Rank 1<br/>Eishi Kazero [DEATH] - Rank 5<br/>Goro Akechi [The SUN] - Rank 1<br/>Kai Kazero [JUDGEMENT] - Rank 5</p><p>Twitter: Kazero5340</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Teammates</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am very tired as I type this out. Because of that, I am way too lazy to do any last minute spell/grammar checking. Forgive me if this chapter looks a little sloppy because of that!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>June 21st, 20XX (Tuesday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Kaneshiro's Bank (Central Street)</strong>
</p><p> </p><p><br/>
With school hours ending for the day and a free schedule until tomorrow, Toya led Makoto straight to Shibuya; where they were able to slip into the Metaverse without anyone noticing them. Makoto still wasn't really used to traveling to a different reality all with the tap of someone's phone screen, but based off of what she had seen and heard the past two months, the reward seemed entirely worth the confusion and momentary panic when the world around her changed, and the unsettling headache that came with it settled in.</p><p><br/>
"I've been meaning to ask, but… What's with the outfit?"</p><p><br/>
"This? I don't... really know, to tell you the truth. Whenever I come to this world, it kinda just… happens. It only started when I got my… 'power.'"</p><p><br/>
"Your… power?"</p><p><br/>
"You'll... see what I mean later. I don't know if I could ever put it into words. Anyways- Let's get going. I have a feeling we won't be able to just walk in and finish things all within a day." Toya stared at the bridge that extended down from the bank to ground level and slowly began walking up. Makoto hesitated for a moment, but inevitably followed close behind. "Oh, and uh… You should probably stay behind me most of the time. This place is a whole lot more dangerous than you probably think it is."</p><p><br/>
"I've trained in aikido. Don't worry; I can defend myself."</p><p><br/>
"That… might not be enough for this place. You know what-you'll see what I mean when we get there."</p><p><br/>
"Your lack of explanations aren't exactly helping."</p><p><br/>
"Seeing is believing, Niijima. And, let's be real. If I told you there was a cognitive bank floating above a cognitive world that mirrored Shibuya… and that it all existed inside Kaneshiro's head… would you really believe me?"</p><p><br/>
"Well…"</p><p><br/>
"Thought so!" Toya ever so slightly mocked her, mostly just to poke some fun at her. Makoto did find it a bit annoying, but not enough for her to say anything about it. It was something that she could just deal and ignore.</p><p><br/>
Before they knew it, the two of them were standing in front of the bank itself. Somehow, the bank looked even bigger up close than it did from a far, and it had already looked massive. Toya suddenly felt a lot less certain about this, but he didn't really have much say in the matter. "...You don't see any secret entrances or anything, do you?" Toya asked, looking around the perimeter.</p><p><br/>
"We have to go in from the front, don't we?"</p><p><br/>
"I have a feeling the front is gonna be pretty well guarded… But fine. Just make sure you stay close. Maybe I'll get lucky for once and there <em>won't</em> be any guards… Maybe." Toya walked towards the doors and pushed them open with Makoto following behind him. As soon as they were inside… they were immediately met with two guards. "Oooooof course. Why do I even <em>bother</em> with optimism anymore?"</p><p><br/>
"<strong>What business do you have here?" </strong>One of the guards spoke, gripping a baton tightly in his hand. Makoto walked forward, standing right next to Toya.</p><p><br/>
"Come at us!" She said, her voice filled with confidence.</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"Oh, for the love of…"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>She's much more reckless than she lets on…"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"I know, right!?"</span> Toya materialized his bow in his hands, drawing an arrow and aiming at the guard standing closest to him.</p><p><br/>
"Either listen to her, or bring us to Kaneshiro. Take your pick." The guards looked at each other. Toya couldn't make out their faces behind the masks, but it was obvious they weren't exactly pleased.</p><p><br/>
"<strong>Excuse me, but do you have an appoi—"</strong> Before the Shadow could finish speaking, he was met with an arrow shot right between his eyes. The sudden strike caused the guard to recoil back, and before he could do anything in retaliation, he was hit with two more arrows that pierced his chest. He fell down, fading into mist as he made impact with the floor.</p><p><br/>
"D-Did you just…!?"</p><p><br/>
"Calm down; that wasn't a real person. There was a monster beneath that mask. Just like this one." He said in a serious tone, shifting his focus towards the other guard.</p><p><br/>
"<strong>You little… You'll learn your place in this world!" </strong>The guard began twitching uncontrollably before sinking into the ground in a puddle of red and black liquid, before emerging in a transformed state- a large fiend with red skin and horns, as well as a blade that was even bigger than the demon itself.</p><p><br/>
"S-So you meant the monster part literally!?" Makoto jumped and then took a step back in both shock and fear.</p><p><br/>
"Yeah, I meant <em>EVERYTHING</em> literally!" Toya yelled back as he drew another arrow, firing it at the demon. However, unlike before their transformation, the arrows barely even made a dent. If anything, it just made the demon even angrier. "Oh, great, now THIS won't work! Time for plan B!"</p><p><br/>
"You have a plan B!?"</p><p><br/>
"Something like that! Just uh… Try to stay as calm as you can, alright? This is where things get a little bit weirder…" Toya brought one hand towards his mask, gripping it tightly and staring down the demon. "Show yourself, Yama!" He ripped it off of his face, as a blue flame erupted around him, and with it came a demon of his own, one that Makoto could never mentally prepare herself for. She tried doing her best to keep a cool head and not be a burden, but with everything that she was seeing… That was easier said than done.</p><p><br/>
The demon lifted his blade into the air and tried to slam it down onto Toya, but he was able to easily dodge out of the way. "Yama!" He yelled out his Persona's name, as Yama fired a blast of dark magic straight ahead. The blast hit the demon right in the face, but it wasn't enough to finish it off right away. "Damn it… This thing is way stronger than anything I've had to fight so far! Give me a break!" The demon rushed forward as Toya spoke, swinging his blade directly in Toya's direction. But this time, instead of dodging the attack, Toya used Yama to block the attack, grabbing onto the sword and pushing back. The demon and Yama struggled against each other, pushing the blade towards each other with all of their might. But in the middle of their struggle, Toya saw an opening. He pointed his fist towards the demon's head, as his grappling hook fired from his sleeve and latched itself into the demon's eye. He screamed in pain and anguish as the hook pierced his eye, but that wasn't the end of it. The hook pulled Toya through the air , where he was able to get on top of the demon's head. He quickly pulled another arrow out of his quiver, gripping it tightly before shoving it into the demon's other eye. The demon let go of his blade and stepped back, the pain becoming almost unbearable for him. While he was both blinded and immobilized by the pain, Toya used Yama's strength to pick the blade up, aiming it for the demon's chest and stabbing directly through. The demon didn't so much as whimper, fading away into mist as soon as the sword pierced through. Yama let go of the sword as it made a loud thud against the floor, dematerializing as Toya's mask returned to him.</p><p><br/>
"What… just…?" Makoto couldn't even finish a sentence. She was too shocked and confused to really process anything that she just saw.</p><p><br/>
"Sorry about that. I kinda got… carried away there… But at least neither of us got hurt, right?"</p><p><br/>
"Are… are you sure you're human…?"</p><p><br/>
"Huh? Oh, right; you saw my Persona. Should have figured you'd ask that..."</p><p><br/>
"Is that what you call that... thing?"</p><p><br/>
"That's what the actual Phantom Thieves called it. Of course, they can do it too."</p><p><br/>
"...I'm… not sure I can be of much help here…"</p><p><br/>
"Like I said. If you just stay near me, then you'll be…" Toya was completely cut off as suddenly, he saw more guards emerge from the floor behind Makoto. "Oh, god- behind you!" Toya grabbed Makoto's arm and pulled her towards him, away from the guards.</p><p><br/>
"<strong>Your habit of assaulting my guards is starting to get rather inconvenient..." </strong>Despite the distortion in his voice, both Toya and Makoto could recognize that voice anywhere. They turned around to see someone who looked like Kaneshiro, but different. Toya could easily infer that it was the Kaneshiro that ruled this world, much like the other versions of Kamoshida and Madarame. <strong>"Unauthorized entry, property damage, and other disturbances. That comes to three million yen in total. You're here regarding that, correct, Miss Beautiful President?" </strong>He said, his eyes locked onto Makoto.</p><p><br/>
"And I thought you were ugly enough in the real world… In a sad way, that's kinda impressive, don't you think?" Toya taunted him, still focusing his thoughts on how to deal with the guards.</p><p><br/>
"<strong>Are tasteless jokes all that you have? At the very least, it will make things a lot more satisfying for me." </strong>He snickered, before shifting his attention from Toya to Makoto. <strong>"But let's talk about </strong><em><strong>you</strong></em><strong> instead, and your debt to me. It must be quite tough gathering so much money. I'd be willing to give you a loan, you know. However, the interest rate is ten percent a day."</strong></p><p><br/>
"Three hundred thousand yen a day. You know we can't afford that."</p><p><br/>
"<strong>There's no need to be alarmed. I have a more manageable option for people like you."</strong></p><p><br/>
"That was your plan from the beginning, wasn't it?"</p><p><br/>
"<strong>Quite the impressive insight… Niijima. Or should I say, the younger sister of the beautiful prosecutor Sae Niijima?" </strong>Makoto could <em>feel</em> the shock that went down her spine.</p><p><br/>
"How do you know about that?!"</p><p><br/>
"<strong>Please don't underestimate our intelligence network."</strong> Makoto was getting progressively more nervous about Kaneshiro, but Toya was just getting annoyed by what he was saying-every single word of it. <strong>"Young women are such great assets. They lack strength-be it social, physical, or mental. It's as if they only exist to be devoured by the strong. That just might be the rule since the dawn of history."</strong></p><p><br/>
"Oh, give me a break. The guy who pays people to do his dirty work is going on about who's weak and strong? Has your 'wealth' really deluded you THAT much?"</p><p><br/>
"<strong>Don't make me laugh, you petty thief. You're worth considerably less to me than she is… It's time you disappear."</strong> Kaneshiro clapped his hands, as two more guards appeared behind him. They started walking forward, as well as the guards who were already there to begin with. Toya and Makoto were completely surrounded, with nowhere to run. <strong>"Managing a bank is tough as it is. So it's my policy to kill clients who are more trouble than they're worth. Having one impertinent brat disappear is enough to set an example in that other world." </strong>Toya grit his teeth, turning around and looking at the guards that were surrounding the two of them.</p><p><br/>
"Please stop!" Makoto cried out, desperate to do anything to stop what was happening.</p><p><br/>
"<strong>Oh, I wouldn't damage an asset like you. He's a dead man walking, but you'll be just fine. Your sister is </strong><em><strong>quite</strong></em><strong> a beauty though. I'll make sure to make her my personal slave. Once I get bored, I'll just sell her off. Oh, poor Sis..." </strong>Kaneshiro's words felt like a stab through the gut for Makoto. <strong>"She could've been successful, if only her younger sister wasn't so dumb."</strong></p><p><br/>
"My sister has nothing to do with this!"</p><p><br/>
"<strong>Then you better start taking customers tomorrow. All you gotta do is endure it and do as you're told."</strong></p><p><br/>
"Endure it… Do as I'm told..." It wasn't the first time Makoto was told to do that. It felt like she had to do it for her entire life so far, never once getting the option to choose what <em>she</em> wanted from the world.</p><p><br/>
"<strong>You'll earn three million yen in no time. Although, your life and everything along with it will be a complete wreck by then!" </strong>He let out a maniacal, condescending laughter. But upon hearing it… something changed inside of Makoto. She clenched her fists, closing her eyes as a rage festered inside of her.</p><p><br/>
"I've been listening to you go on and on… Shut your damn mouth, your money-grubbing asshole!"</p><p><br/>
"<strong>Huh?"</strong></p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"HUH?"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>Where did </strong><em><strong>THAT</strong></em><strong> come from!?"</strong></span> Quite literally nobody was ready for Makoto to suddenly say that; Toya wasn't even sure that Makoto was ready to suddenly blurt that out. He could recognize the frustration in her voice, though. The feelings that drove her towards saying that… They were building up inside of her for years. She clenched her fists tighter, looking down at the ground.</p><p><br/>
"Yes… Come to me." A voice rang out inside of her head; and despite how otherworldly it sounded, Makoto felt stronger when she heard it. She felt at home. It was like she was realizing her true self… the true self that had been hidden behind responsibility and expectation for her entire life. She called out to the voice, and when she did… her eyes suddenly turned golden. Toya couldn't see it, but he knew. He recognized what she was going through. He had seen it before-and even gone through it himself.</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"This is…"</span> Toya took a step back as Makoto grabbed onto her head, taking ragged breaths and stomping her foot down against the ground. The tiled floor cracked and broke apart as she slammed down against it. Her entire body was shaking, either out of pain or out of sheer anger-Toya couldn't tell. He could make out one thing though, the bright blue light that emanated from her face. He remembered that… and he remembered exactly what came after. Makoto brought her hands to her face and ripped something off of her. She roared as her mask was ripped off, and a blue pillar of flame engulfed her, illuminating the entire room and sending waves of pressure into the air. Toya closed his eyes and covered his face, trying his best to not get blown away from the pressure of her awakening.</p><p><br/>
The pressure cleared after a few moments, and the flame died down enough for Toya to make out what was happening-as if he couldn't tell. Her attire was now completely different- wearing a gray/black skin tight leather suit, with spiked shoulder pads and a long black scarf; long enough for it to be confused for a cape at the wrong angle. But what confused Toya the most wasn't her outfit… rather, it was what she was now sitting on. Out of seemingly nowhere came… a motorcycle. A large, white motorcycle… with a face on the front of it.</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>She… awoke to a Persona…!?"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"SHE AWOKE TO A GODDAMN MOTORCYCLE!"</span> Toya and Osiris were both confused, but their reactions were about as normal as the two of them could get. Distinct, but fitting for them.</p><p><br/>
"I can feel it… My 'self'... Me…!" A fire flared up in her eyes as she stared down Kaneshiro, and the two guards standing next to him. "Gun it!" She yelled, as she suddenly sped ahead on her bike. She got in close and made a sharp turn, hitting against both guards with the rear end of her Persona. They were sent across the room, flying right past Kaneshiro and leaving him with a terrified expression on his face.</p><p><br/>
"Good lord…! Where the hell did all <em>THAT</em> come from!?" Toya yelled out, as the guards who were behind him rushed past him, coming to Kaneshiro's side. Kaneshiro calmed himself down, regaining his composure and looking at the guards.</p><p><br/>
"<strong>You better earn your keep, or else I'll kill you!" </strong>The guards nodded their heads and rushed towards Makoto. Toya ran up as well, coming to her side.</p><p><br/>
"I will not lose heart again, ever. I'll go full speed, nonstop! Right, Johanna!?" She yelled out her Persona's name, as the guards in front of her and Toya transformed into their demonic forms. One of them was the same red one as before, but the other was new, and bigger. It had a similar posture and weapon, but instead of having dark red skin, it was a mix of pink and a more faded red. It also didn't have a horn, but had black hair that extended down past its shoulders.</p><p><br/>
"Big one's mine!" Toya yelled, drawing his bow and aiming at his head.</p><p><br/>
"I'm handling it myself! You deal with the other!" Makoto yelled back at Toya in response, revving up her motorcycle.</p><p><br/>
"Wha-" Before Toya could even respond to that, Makoto was driving far past him, headed straight for the larger of the two demons.</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>You're getting outshined by her not even 2 minutes after her awakening."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"Hell NO I'm not!"</span> He grabbed onto his mask and rushed forward towards the red demon-despite already having taken down two, he wanted to think of a new way to deal with them, and he had just the idea. The demon raised his blade into the air and tried to swing at Toya, his large blade sweeping just above the ground. Toya jumped into the air to dodge it, heading straight for the demon's head while ripping off his mask.</p><p><br/>
"Crack his skull, Yama!" He yelled out as he summoned his Persona. Yama appeared behind him, clenching his fists and crashing them both against the demon's head. The demon recoiled at the impact of it, trying and failing to regain any form of composure. The demon lost balance due to confusion and fell over. As soon as the demon fell, Toya heard the sound of an explosion not too far away from him. He quickly turned his head in a panic, only to see the other demon falling down on top of the one he had dealt with, with the remnants of a blue explosion in the air, and Makoto on the other side of it, completely unscathed.</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"...Did… Did she just… blow him up…?"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>Just focus on getting out there, more guards will be coming!"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"R-Right!"</span> Toya closed the distance between him and Makoto, looking up at her.</p><p><br/>
"More guards are coming-and we won't be able to fight them forever. We gotta get out of here, now!"</p><p><br/>
"Fine. I'm going on ahead, so follow me!"</p><p><br/>
"Ahead!? Where are you-" Ignoring everything that Toya was saying, Makoto turned around and drove towards the front entrance… and drove straight through it. "...That woman is gonna be the death of me. Figuratively... and probably literally, at this rate." Toya ran in her direction, and used his grappling hook to close the distance between them faster.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>June 21st, 20XX (Tuesday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Shibuya (Accessway)</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>"I'm… so confused by… literally <em>everything </em>that just happened. What the hell was… any of that!?"</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>Jester."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
"Like-okay, it was really cool. I'll give you that. But-"</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>Jester…"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
"Where even were you hiding all of… THAT?"</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>JESTER."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"WHAT?"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>Let her breathe before playing 20 questions…"</strong></span> Toya froze in place for a moment before looking down at Makoto. She was crouched down and breathing heavily.</p><p><br/>
"Sorry… I guess I got kinda carried away… A-Are you okay?"</p><p><br/>
"This is the most exhausted I've ever gotten these past few years… But… it felt pretty great."</p><p><br/>
"I-I mean, it looked cool as HELL! I just… wasn't expecting... <em>that</em>. You definitely never gave that kinda aura off…" Makoto shyly looked away when he said that. Truth be told, she was a bit embarrassed that someone got a glimpse of her true self- especially in a moment like <em>that</em>. But she would never admit that.</p><p><br/>
"So… What now? Is the Kaneshiro in the real world aware of everything that just happened?"</p><p><br/>
"To my knowledge, no. Otherwise, Kamoshida would've been able to deal with the Phantom Thieves way before he ever got exposed…"</p><p><br/>
"I see…" Makoto took a deep breath. "What do we do now then? Do we go back in?"</p><p><br/>
"Not today! You can barely even stand up straight. If you wanna go in tomorrow, then sure. But for now… Just get some rest."</p><p><br/>
"Okay… Should we meet tomorrow, then?"</p><p><br/>
"Uh… yeah, sure! Let's meet at the school gate again, alright?"</p><p><br/>
"Yeah… Sure…" She took a deep breath and started slowly walking away.</p><p><br/>
"...You need help?"</p><p><br/>
"I'm fine… I'll be fine…" She said, walking off. Toya was tempted to come with her and make sure she was fine, but he decided against it.</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"So… I guess I have a teammate now."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>With how much she ignores all of your advice and planning, and how reckless she is… I don't know if you should be </strong><em><strong>too</strong></em><strong> excited."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"Maybe not… but it'll still be better than having to do everything alone."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>Oh, am I not enough for you anymore?"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"You know that's not what I meant!"</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Twitter: Kazero5340</p><p>I swear I'll get better at consistency eventually...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Bank of Gluttony (1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>haha bad schedule joke hahahahaha</p><p>I don't know why I even talk about it anymore, to be honest.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>June 22nd, 20XX (Wednesday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Another day came, and things looked like they were going to go the exact same way as they did the day before. Toya came to the school gate, and Makoto was there not even a minute later. She approached him as soon as she laid eyes on him.</p><p><br/>"You're eager to get back there, aren't you?"</p><p><br/>"I can say the same about you, can't I? You were the one waiting out here."</p><p><br/>"True… But I've been on this case for a long time. You're still pretty new to things, aren't you?"</p><p><br/>"Even if I'm new to this… I've been doing nothing for so long. I can't just sit around and do as I'm told anymore. From now on… I want to make my own choices. I want to live by my own free will, and not by the will pushed onto me by adults."</p><p><br/>"Is that so? Well, that's fine and all, but you're probably taking this whole 'living by your own free will' thing too far. You were being waaaaay too reckless yesterday… and kinda the day before, really."</p><p><br/>"W-Well…" She turned her head away. She knew that he had a point with that… She hadn't realized how reckless it was in the moment, but when she thought about it the night after… It definitely looked that way to her, too.</p><p><br/>"Anyways, let's get a move-on. Better now than later." Toya said, turning around and making his way to the station with Makoto following behind. The two of them weren't paying much attention to their surroundings, but they were pretty sure that there was nobody watching them, or listening in on their conversation.</p><p><br/>They were wrong about that.</p><p><br/>From inside the school, hiding behind the door, there <em>was</em> someone watching them, listening in on the conversation, none other than Yuuki Mishima. He pressed his back against the wall, sighing and slowly sliding down to the ground.</p><p><br/><span class="u">"He sure moved on quick…"</span> He thought to himself. <span class="u">"He hated her for so long… now they're acting all buddy-buddy. He's acting like that never happened… like our friendship meant nothing to him…"</span> He took out his phone, staring at his reflection on the powered-off screen. He saw the sadness in his eyes. A look of betrayal was plastered all over his face, plain as day for anyone to see. But it's not like anyone could ever figure out why he felt that way. And, if he did tell anyone… They probably wouldn't even believe him. And as such, he was stuck in a limbo of sorts. He hadn't felt so sad since the incident with Kamoshida was in its prime, and even though the severity of that situation made this one look like it was nothing… he still couldn't help but be reminded of the pain he had felt back then.</p><p><br/>He turned his phone on and opened his browser, going straight to his favorite website… or well, what was <em>once</em> his favorite website. He felt weird about it now, ever since a couple of days ago. It was the Phan-Site… the website that <em>he</em> created, for the Phantom Thieves that he was so fond of. The Phantom Thieves that he had worshiped for so long-months, even. And he thought that the one behind it all… was his best friend. His only <em>real </em>friend.</p><p><br/>But he wasn't. It was a lie. It was all one giant lie… and that hurt him to no end. He just felt… helpless. Like his entire world flipped upside down, and there was nothing that he could do about it. All he could do was stare at the Phan-Site and overthink the situation. There was a part of him that wanted to take the website down, but something told him not to do that. Something about deleting it just... didn't feel right to him. Maybe it was because he had spent so long on making it, or maybe it was because it was once such a big part of his life; something that brought him so much joy. He couldn't tell which it was. All that he really could tell was that it made him sad.</p><p><br/>But it wasn't <em>just</em> sadness. There was something else there, something that was a little darker than that, and <em>much </em>darker than he gave it credit for.</p><p><br/><span class="u">"If it weren't for me, he wouldn't even be able to deal with Kaneshiro… He would be stuck here like I am! Instead he completely ditched me… He should know better than that!"</span> He told himself this, trying to calm himself down and regain control over the situation going on in his mind any way he could. <span class="u">"That's right… He needs someone there with him! Someone to be his manager; and he just forgot about that! But it's okay… I'll just have to remind him where he stands in this matter… And then everything will go back to normal!"</span> His thoughts calmed himself down. Because of that, he didn't realize how they could have sounded to someone else. But he didn't care about that right now. Right now, he just wanted to have something to ease his mind… and that's exactly what he had. That was enough for him.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>June 22nd, 20XX (Wednesday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Kaneshiro's Bank (Bank Entrance)</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile, within the world of cognition, Toya and Makoto were finally getting to work on what they had set out to do. Their goal was to change Kaneshiro's heart, and stop the crimes that he was committing in the real world as a result of it. Toya was less experienced than he'd like to admit, and Makoto even less so, but that didn't matter. At the end of the day, they had a job to do, and they were going to see it through to the end. With that thought in mind, the two of them walked up the bridge outside of the bank, only to see that the front entrance was now barricaded shut.</p><p><br/>"...Figures we wouldn't be able to just waltz in again. Well, there goes the <em>easy</em> way of getting in." Toya closed his eyes, losing himself in thought of how they were going to get into the bank.</p><p><br/>"Maybe there's another entrance that we can find? I'm sure Kaneshiro still wants his 'loyal patrons' to have access to the bank, wouldn't he?"</p><p><br/>"Oh yeah. There's an entrance alright." Toya said, staring at the door as a smirk came to his face.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>I don't like that look in your eyes. That's the 'I'm gonna do something that'll make Osiris mad at me' look."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">"You know me so well."</span> Toya slowly brought his hand to his mask, staring at the barricade. This was very risky, and very stupid… But it was a better idea than looking around for some kind of secret entrance to a fortified bank. At least, that's what he thought.</p><p><br/>"...Toya? What're you-"</p><p><br/>"Persona!" He cried out while ripping off his mask. In a flash of blue flame, Yama appeared behind him. Makoto was caught off guard by the sudden commotion and took a step back, while Toya held his hand out towards the door. "Break it apart!" He yelled out as his Persona moved through the air, coming close to the barricade and smashing it apart, clearing their path.</p><p><br/>"W-What were you saying earlier about me being too reckless!?"</p><p><br/>"Would you rather spend an hour looking for a hidden passage, or a few minutes waiting for… whatever's gonna show up in retaliation to what I just did." Within moments of the words he spoke, the sound of various different footsteps began closing in on the two of them. There were guards coming-and a decent amount of them, at that. But then they heard something… different. It sounded like… growling, almost. Then, before any of the actual guards showed up, something resembling a <em>dog</em> ran towards the massive hole in the wall where the barricade once was. "Wait, Kaneshiro has cognitive DOGS? Since when is that a thing!?" The dog howled in response, before sinking into the ground and taking a new form, which was… still a dog, but it was considerably larger and had two heads.</p><p><br/>"Sorry to interrupt-we have more important things to worry about than <em>what</em> it is! I can hear more coming, and I don't think they're all dogs!"</p><p><br/>"Probably the same guards from yesterday… Hey, you can deal with those demon guards better than I can! Leave the dogs to me and worry about the other half!" He yelled, staring at the dog that was already there, and listening to the rest of the footsteps that were coming. They didn't have any time to waste, so Toya rushed straight towards the twin-headed beast. The beast did the same, rushing forward with it's mouth open, ready to bite down onto Toya as soon as he got close enough. Realizing how obvious of a trap it was, Toya made sure not to get <em>that</em> close to the dog, instead opting to jump into the air at the last second to avoid any kind of damage. He drew his bow once he was in the air and aimed down at the dog, expecting to get an easy kill out of just shooting an arrow into his head. But before he could even shoot, the dog turned around and opened its mouth once more, revealing a charge of fire building up inside of it. On instinct, Toya shifted his focus away from attacking and towards getting out of the way. He aimed his fist toward the ground and shot out his grappling hook, zipping straight down to the ground to avoid the breath of fire that had shot out from the dog's mouth moments later.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Are you regretting this yet?"</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"I don't know, have you come up with a strategy yet!?"</span>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">"<strong>Counter its magic with your own already!"</strong></span> Toya quickly raised his hand to his mask, ready to take the fight to the next level. Meanwhile, behind him, Makoto was getting into her own slice of the action, as two guards started running towards her. There was another one that she could hear coming in the distance, but for now this was all she needed to worry about. The guards took their true forms, but they were slightly different yesterday. Instead of being giant red demons, they were slim purple-skinned women, holding a sword in each hand. Due to the swords they were holding, Makoto knew that it would be a stupid idea to get in close, so she needed to rely on a bit more of a ranged advantage to win. She quickly jumped back and ripped her mask off of her face, summoning Johanna to the field and landing onto her, ready to strike. She quickly spun around, unleashing a blast of nuclear energy that knocked the two of them back, not finishing them off completely but doing more than enough damage to give her an easy advantage. With the cognitive enemies on the ropes, Makoto took the chance to close in on them, revving up her motorcycle and driving forward, making a sharp turn as soon as she got in close to send the two of them flying back. They landed on the floor and faded into mist on impact, completely destroyed. A few moments later, the dog that Toya was dealing with met a similar fate, crashing onto the floor and disappearing.</p><p><br/>"That's one wave down… Don't call me crazy, but after a few months of this… I'm starting to find this more and more fun."</p><p><br/>"How am I <em>not</em> supposed to call you crazy after that…?" Makoto took a deep breath as the two of them stepped into the bank, through the hole in the wall where the barricade originally was. The guards were cleared out now, but there would be more. In fact, the two of them could already hear the sound of footsteps.</p><p><br/>"This place has way too many guards. If we stand around fighting all day, we're just gonna tire ourselves out. Over here!" Toya jumped behind the overly fancy sofas that were in the room, with Makoto following behind him. As they got behind cover, they heard more guards run into the room.</p><p><br/>"<strong>Where are the intruders!?"</strong></p><p><br/>"<strong>They couldn't have gone far. Search the entire area for them!"</strong> The sound of footsteps rang out again, as the guards ran towards the next room in search of Toya and Makoto.</p><p><br/>"Let's keep quiet… The less attention we draw to ourselves, the faster we'll be done with this. I don't wanna let Kaneshiro do whatever he wants in the real world for much longer." Toya whispered, peeking his head above the sofa to see if anyone was coming their way.</p><p><br/>"I'll follow your lead then. Let's get to work."</p><p><br/>"Right." The two of them slowly moved ahead, going in the opposite direction of the guards that passed by them. Walking into the next room, they saw an elevator open up, and a guard walk right into it. As soon as the guard was inside, the door closed, not giving anyone else a chance to get inside. "A guarded elevator… That's <em>gotta</em> lead to something, right?"</p><p><br/>"Something like that wouldn't be opened by motion sensors, or anything of the sort. Maybe it's controlled from a security room?"</p><p><br/>"If there's a security room blocking access to the elevator… Then there's no doubt that it's where we need to go. Let's go find that security room."</p><p><br/>"Right behind you." The two of them snuck past the guards that were scattered throughout the room, finding a staircase and quickly moving up without ever getting spotted.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"Things are going well so far, at least…"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>You're going to jinx it if you say it like that."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">"What? No way!"</span> Toya dismissed what Osiris was saying and continued moving up the stairs, but as soon as he got a look at the upper floor they were about to step foot on, he laid eyes on another one of the dogs from earlier, walking away from him. <span class="u">"See? Not even the dogs notice us yet!"</span></p><p><br/>"Careful… Something tells me that the dog is going to be much more observant than the actual guards." Makoto said, taking note of the danger.</p><p><br/>"True… But they'll be easier to take down if we <em>do </em>catch them by surprise. Follow me." Toya moved as slowly as he could. He reached into his quiver, pulling an arrow out and gripping it tightly. "I'll get the first hit, but you gotta be the one to finish it. Preferably without your Persona—that'll bring too much attention."</p><p><br/>"I'll try to be quick about finishing it off then. I'm ready whenever you are." The two of them nodded. They walked together, sneaking up on the dog without it turning around yet. Toya paused for a moment to mentally prepare himself, and then suddenly jumped onto the dog. Without wasting so much as a second, he grabbed onto the dog's jaw to try and prevent it from making noise, and then plunged the arrow he held into its back. It shook in pain, trying desperately to scream out and alert any nearby guards, but Toya made sure that it couldn't make a sound. While he restrained it, Makoto got in close, standing next to the dog and reeling her arm back before punching it as hard as she could. Toya jumped off of the dog as soon as Makoto was about to make impact, which caused the dog to go flying. It went straight into the wall and faded away on impact, barely even making a sound at all.</p><p><br/>"Good work! If we keep that up, we'll have no problems here at all."</p><p><br/>"Assuming Kaneshiro has no tricks up his sleeve… You may be right about that. Let's go." Out of the corner of their eyes, the two of them noticed a sealed door to their right. They went over to it and saw something that resembled a keycard scanner. "So we need to find a keycard… Do you think one of the guards has it?"</p><p><br/>"Definitely. And something tells me that it won't be one that's just roaming the halls. Let's check to see if there are any other rooms we can enter." Toya and Makoto snuck around the rest of the floor, but they couldn't find anything for a while. All they found was another way back downstairs, and another blocked-off door. For a few minutes, they were completely stumped. But then, Toya noticed something that they hadn't explored yet. Near the other sealed off door that they saw, there was a small duct. It was only barely enough to fit into, though.</p><p><br/>"...Do you really think we can fit in there…?"</p><p><br/>"Well, we've kinda run out of options. I'll go in first, so just try to fit in after." Toya got down to his hands and knees and crawled into the vent. Makoto hesitated a bit due to how uncomfortable she imagined it would be, but she ended up going in regardless. She didn't exactly have another choice in the matter if she wanted to take down Kaneshiro, after all.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"This takes me back to when our main concern was Kamoshida… It feels like it's been so long since then."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Well, a lot has changed since then."</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"Yeah. Now I have a human partner, a target on my back, and I have to take down an oversized criminal… And I summon a demon from my heart to kill other demons. When did my life become an anime?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>...You just </strong> <em> <strong>had</strong> </em> <strong>to make that analogy, didn't you?"</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"Well, duh! I mean, it's true, right!?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>Just… Just focus on the damn bank, Jester."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">"Fiiiiine…"</span> Toya kept crawling through the vent until he finally reached an opening. There were a few guards already in the room, but they had no idea that he was there, or that Makoto was close behind.</p><p><br/>"No way to be sneaky about this… We'll have to get our hands dirty. You ready back there?"</p><p><br/>"Yeah. I'm right behind you. I'll come down as soon as you do."</p><p><br/>"Get ready then!" Toya poked his upper body out of the vent and put his right arm forward, shooting his grappling hook out and latching it into the arm of one of the guards. The rest of the guards didn't notice until he came out of the vent, being dragged directly towards one of the guards and knocking it down.</p><p><br/>"<strong>What the hell!?"</strong> The guard that was knocked down slowly picked himself up, standing with the rest of the guards and staring down Toya. Makoto came out of the vent a moment later, landing down on the ground next to him. "<strong>Intruders!? We'll show you the power of Kaneshiro's elite men!"</strong> The guards took their true forms. They were red horses that stood up on 2 feet, and there were 4 of them.</p><p><br/>"Ones on the right are mine, you take the ones that are-"</p><p><br/>"Johanna!" Makoto quickly unmasked and summoned her Persona, unleashing multiple blasts of magic onto all of them. As it turns out, the guards were… actually a lot weaker than Toya expected. With just that simple blast, they were all finished.</p><p><br/>"...Or… that. I-I guess that works too."</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>She's making you look bad again."</strong></span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"Oh, I look FINE!"</span>
</p><p><br/>"...Are you still in there, Toya?" Toya had completely spaced out due to Osiris and didn't even realize, leaving Makoto there wondering just what he was thinking about.</p><p><br/>"O-Oh, sorry! Just uh… Thinking about something. It's nothing." More importantly, is that a map?" Toya walked towards something attached to the wall. Sure enough, it was a map of the entire bank. "Well, we can't see <em>everything</em>… But it looks like there's a lot more underneath us than we expected."</p><p><br/>"And look, over here. Isn't this a keycard?"</p><p><br/>"Oh, really? Great! Let's get back to that sealed room from earlier. I'll hold on to the map." The two of them walked out of the room and quickly got to the nearby door that was sealed off. Sure enough, the keycard was enough to open the door, but there wasn't actually much inside of the room when they walked inside. It was mostly empty, actually.</p><p><br/>"...It's empty? Why did they lock an empty room behind a keycard?"</p><p><br/>"I don't think it's actually empty… Here, look." There was a square-shaped hole in the grate used as a floor, and something underneath it. "Isn't this room right above where we saw that elevator?"</p><p><br/>"Oh…! So that's the elevator, then?"</p><p><br/>"Yeah. And if it's back up here… Then we probably won't need to wait long until it moves again. Come on!" They both jumped down through the grate and landed on the elevator. And, sure enough… It began moving moments later. All they had to do now was wait until it stopped.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Gonna be splitting the bank into a few chapters. In the original story, it was only two chapters, buuuuut... Well, I have more to put in these chapters now than I did before, which I'm sure readers of the original story can attest to.</p><p>On an unrelated note, I've been wanting to get into streaming recently. If my computer wasn't a flaming hunk of crap, I would totally do it consistently, but unfortunately for me... it is. </p><p>If I do ever decide to stream something though, I'll talk about it on my Twitter. Speaking of which:</p><p>Twitter: Kazero5340</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Bank of Gluttony (2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>June 22nd, 20XX (Wednesday)</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>After School - Kaneshiro's Bank (Banker Passageway)</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"How're you feeling? Think you're up for more exploration?" Toya asked, his back against the wall and his eyes closed.</p>
<p><br/>"Yeah, I'm fine." Makoto responded, cracking her knuckles and looking away. The tension between them from before was nowhere to be seen at this point. They weren't exactly <em>friends</em>, though. They had a common goal, and began helping each other achieve it. Whether or not that would continue once Kaneshiro was dealt with had yet to be seen, even yet to be thought about. Neither of them really cared about what would happen in the distant future at this point. Instead, their only goal was figuring out what they were going to do about Kaneshiro. Nothing more, nothing less. "There is something that I've been wondering, though… Just how deep are we supposed to go?"</p>
<p><br/>"Hm? What do you mean by that?"</p>
<p><br/>"How will we know when we've reached the end? What do we have to do to fully change his heart? Does it end with us just beating him in a fight?"</p>
<p><br/>"Err… Well, fighting Kaneshiro himself will definitely be a part of it-but I don't think that's the main goal. Pretty sure we have to steal something from him."</p>
<p><br/>"...Something. And just what exactly is this <em>something?</em>"</p>
<p><br/>"It's… uhhhh…"</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>His Treasure."</strong></span>
</p>
<p><br/>"H-His Treasure! He's got a Treasure at the end of this place, and stealing it will make him change his ways and confess his crimes. We just gotta take it from him!" Toya was struggling to actually answer that question. He was trying to keep up a facade of knowing what he was doing, but… He was still pretty clueless on the specifics of things. Osiris was able to help him out with it slightly, but it was still pretty obvious from his voice that he was having trouble coming up with an appropriate answer. Makoto didn't verbally respond to him, and instead just stared at him blankly before just sighing and dismissing it. She wasn't stupid enough to be fooled by something like that. There was something that did pique her interest, though. And it wasn't anything that he said-rather, the way that he acted.</p>
<p><br/><span class="u">"...There's something off about this."</span> She watched Toya as he took a deep breath, trying to get his composure back. For a few moments, she just stared at him. His facial expression changed a few times while she was watching. He seemed to get annoyed for a moment out of thin air, almost like something was speaking to him, and said something that got on his nerves. But… nobody was talking. It was only the two of them in the room together. <span class="u">"...He can't be talking to himself. His reactions are way too… raw. It's like he's having an actual conversation with someone… Someone inside of his head. But… How can that be? He can't communicate with his Persona… can he?"</span> She closed her eyes and pondered this thought. She tried to communicate with her own Persona, but to no avail. Try as she might, she wasn't able to get her Persona to speak a word to her. Maybe she could if she had summoned it, but if she did, then that would defeat the entire purpose of her test. <span class="u">"No… It's not his Persona. It can't be that. There's something else going on here… What <em>is </em>it, though?"</span> She became lost in thought. The elevator had stopped without her even realizing it. She was trapped in her own head now, perhaps even more than she expected Toya to be. <span class="u">"So if it's not a conversation with himself… and not a conversation with his Persona… Then…"</span></p>
<p><br/>"...Yoohoo… Earth to Niijima…" Makoto was suddenly alerted by the sound of fingers snapping. Her eyes jolted open and she was Toya standing in front of her, a confused expression on his face. "...You sure you're okay to continue? You kinda spaced out there for a minute…"</p>
<p><br/>"Oh, I'm fine. I was just… Thinking about something that I need to take care of later. Don't worry, I'm more than able to continue on here for a while longer."</p>
<p><br/>"Huh… Well, alright, then. Just don't go straining yourself, alright?" Toya walked towards the wall, seeing an air duct and getting down, crawling into it. "C'mon! Let's get through this quick!"</p>
<p><br/><span class="u">"...You're certainly unique."</span> She thought to herself, as she followed him through the vent. Her questions had still been left unanswered, but she didn't have the time to delve deeper into them. For now, she just had to continue on, and try to get through the rest of the bank within a reasonable amount of time. Her questions could come later… in a more safe environment, where she's not worried about literal demons trying to kill her by the will of an oversized mafia boss.</p>
<p><br/>The two of them got to the other side of the vent and jumped down onto ground level. They were fairly deep into the bank at this point, deeper than they could have imagined the bank actually went from the outside. Then again, it didn't actually surprise them that there was more to the place than first met the eye, but it was still something that caught their attention.</p>
<p><br/>"<strong>All security, listen up!"</strong> Suddenly, a voice rang out on speakers, echoing throughout the halls. "<strong>It looks like a pair of rats have infested this place! Under no circumstances let them further down! Strengthen security as much as you can! Understood?"</strong></p>
<p><br/>"Well, that helps with figuring out where we're supposed to go. Still… It looks like things are gonna start getting a lot more dangerous. Keep your guard up, alright?"</p>
<p><br/>"Don't worry about me. If anything comes our way, I'm sure the two of us can handle it without much trouble."</p>
<p><br/>"Hah! Got that right!" Toya liked the sudden confidence from her. She might have said it on a whim, but she was sure that the two of them would be fine. She was confident in her own skills due to her aikido practice, and Toya had proven himself to be capable of holding his own in a fight time after time. Despite the sudden mystery surrounding him, that was the one thing about him that she <em>was</em> sure of. For now, that was more than enough for her to be confident in their chances. And because of that, she was content. The two of them walked down the hallway in front of them, before stopping and looking up towards the ceiling, spotting multiple different security cameras. "...You know, I'm not even <em>surprised</em> that there are security cameras. If anything, I'm surprised that we're only just now running into them. You'd think that a place crawling with guard dogs would have security cameras everywhere, rather than just the basement…"</p>
<p><br/>"It is a bit strange. Nonetheless, it's dangerous. We should still proceed with caution around them."</p>
<p><br/>"Nah, that won't be necessary. As long as we see them before they see us, we won't have any issues at all." Toya said, looking up at the first camera and smirking.</p>
<p><br/><span class="u">"<strong>...You're making that face again. You're giving the camera </strong><em><strong>that </strong></em><strong>look."</strong></span> Osiris took note of Toya's demeanor, before realizing what Toya had in mind. <span class="u">"<strong>...Jester, no."</strong></span></p>
<p><br/><span class="u">"Jester YES!"</span> Materializing his bow in his hands, Toya pulled an arrow out and aimed at one of the cameras, shooting directly at it and breaking through it. A few sparks flew out from the camera for a second, the light emitting from it disappeared, signaling that it couldn't see anything anymore.</p>
<p><br/>"...Well, I suppose that's… one way of dealing with security cameras watching our every move."</p>
<p><br/>"See, what'd I tell ya? No issues at all!" Toya bragged for just a brief moment, before taking out more arrows and making short work of the rest of the security cameras that were in the hallway. Before they knew it, they were all completely turned off, and were no threat to the two of them at all. "Now we don't have to worry about them seeing us, so we're completely invisible!"</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>...You really aren't the smartest person in the world, you know that?"</strong></span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"Oh, come on! Admit it, that was a great idea!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"<strong>...Jester, what do those security camera feeds show now? The ones you just destroyed."</strong></span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">"I dunno… Probably just static or something, right? What's wrong with that? Not like they can see through it."</span>
</p>
<p><br/><span class="u">"<strong>They don't need to. They know that the cameras were destroyed, and they know that there's only two people in this entire cognitive </strong><em><strong>world </strong></em><strong>that would do such a thing. Which means that, without even seeing you, they know </strong><em><strong>exactly </strong></em><strong>where you are."</strong></span> Toya paused. He had a completely dumbfounded look on his face for a moment. <span class="u">"<strong>See, </strong><em><strong>this?</strong></em> <em><strong>This </strong></em><strong>is why you listen to me before going on and doing something reckless just to look cool in front of a girl."</strong></span></p>
<p><br/><span class="u">"I am NOT trying to look cool in front of her! W-Why would I even care about that!?"</span> Toya shook his head and started walking forward, with Makoto following behind. <span class="u">"Ugh, never mind! We'll be totally fine! If anyone comes for us, we'll take them down! Easy!"</span></p>
<p><br/><span class="u">"<strong>...What am I going to do with you…?"</strong></span> Toya could feel disappointment <em>radiating </em>from Osiris with every word. Their relationship was weird, and mostly involved the two of them bantering with each other and trying to prove which was smarter than the other, but at the end of the day, they meant well. They were still friends with each other, and stuck with each other for… Well, for as long as either of them could guess. It was a weird way of getting along… But it worked out well for them, surprisingly enough. The two of them liked the back and forth banter, but neither of them would ever admit to that.</p>
<p><br/>Regardless, this was no time for either of them to be dwelling on a bit of banter. Toya and Makoto got to the end of the hallway and opened a door, only to see a guard standing idly at the other side, his back turned away from them. Toya jumped back and pressed himself against the wall, trying to peek into the room without being spotted. There was only one of them, and it didn't look like there were any reinforcements nearby.</p>
<p><br/>"Well, he shouldn't be hard to deal with if his back is turned…" Toya whispered, assessing the situation. "It should be pretty easy to deal with this thing if there's nothing else around… But they're upping security, and there's no telling when there's gonna be someone turning the corner. So doing this might be a bad-"</p>
<p><br/>"You just took down 3 security cameras, and we ambushed a literal guard dog not long ago. Are you really going to try and tell me that taking down a single guard who doesn't know any better is where you draw the line on recklessness?" Makoto said, raising an eyebrow at Makoto with an expression that was somewhere between disappointed and surprised.</p>
<p><br/>"...You know? You bring up a good point." Toya quickly pulled an arrow out from his quiver, twirling it around in his hand before raising his other arm and aiming at the guard. He fired his grappling hook into the guard's back, zipping through the air and smashing his entire body weight against him. The guard fell to the ground, as Toya kept pressing down against his back. He brought his arrow further into the air before slamming down and shoving it through the guard's head. The guard faded away into mist when the arrow pierced its head, as Toya stood back up straight. He and Makoto looked at each other and nodded their heads, before continuing on through the bank. They knew that they were strong enough to deal with any guards that might pop up at this point. However, they knew that reinforcements were going to become more and more prevalent past this point, and they had no interest in fighting countless waves of enemies to get through. Because of this, they decided that it would be best if they just stayed stealthy and avoided conflict. After all, if they were to constantly get into fights, it stands to reason that they would eventually get overwhelmed by the seemingly endless amount of guards.</p>
<p><br/>They snuck around for a few minutes, keeping as quiet as they could so as not to alert any guards, and they were thankfully able to do this fairly easily. Before long, they found themselves in a massive room, filled with security cameras and staircases, with a giant vault towards the bottom. But before they could focus on that, their attention was caught by the massive electrical gate in front of them. There were two of them, being used to block off an entranceway blocked off by iron bars that led to… somewhere probably important. They kept it in mind, but they couldn't really do much about it.</p>
<p><br/>"This is the last room on the map… Do you think his 'Treasure' is in that vault?" Makoto asked, putting the map that she was looking at away and staring at the vault below them, trying not to focus on the gate.</p>
<p><br/>"For some reason, I doubt that. And considering the literal gates of electricity… I have a feeling it won't exactly be <em>easy</em> to get in. I guess there's no harm in hoping for the best, though." He responded, before walking down the staircase in the room with Makoto by his side, as the two of them made their way to the bottom floor, staring at the massive vault. "So is it me, or… are there keyholes on the terminals?" He asked, pointing at the terminals that were on both sides of the vault.</p>
<p><br/>"So we'll need two keys… to open a vault?"</p>
<p><br/>"So it's a door… shaped like a vault. I don't even know why I'm surprised at what I see in this world." Toya closed his eyes and sighed. "So, we need two keys. And with my luck, those keys are…"</p>
<p><br/>"Behind the gates of thunder on the upper floor. Any idea how to get through <em>that</em>?"</p>
<p><br/>"Well, not <em>through</em> it. Buuuuuuuut…" Toya stared at the space inbetween the gates. There was a decent amount of space to stand, and while the door behind them was fortified, it didn't look nearly strong enough to withstand the power of their Personas.</p>
<p><br/>"...Okay, what's with that look in your eyes?" Makoto asked in a nervous tone, before Toya suddenly grabbed hold of her hand, walking forward and raising his free arm into the air. "H-Hey! What are you-"</p>
<p><br/>"Hold on tight!" He chuckled to himself, as his grappling hook shot out and lodged itself in the wall between the gates, pulling both him and Makoto towards it. Makoto yelped ever so slightly as she was suddenly lifted up into the air, being brought to the sealed off entrance way. The two of them landed in front of it, between the gates with enough room to move around.</p>
<p><br/>"D-Don't just do that without warning me first!"</p>
<p><br/>"Oh c'mon, it was at least <em>kinda</em> fun!"</p>
<p><br/><span class="u">"<strong>Not everyone has the same twisted definition of fun as you do, Jester." </strong></span>Toya rolled his eyes in response to Osiris and looked towards the sealed off door. He pressed himself against the wall and listened to a conversation that was going on inside the room.</p>
<p><br/>"<strong>About those intruders…"</strong></p>
<p><br/>"<strong>Oh? Are you really that concerned? Don't be. We have the keys they need, so things should be okay as long as we protect them."</strong></p>
<p><br/>"Seriously, why do they just say stuff like that out loud? There's no way that they don't realize how dumb it is to do that, right?" Toya said sarcastically, grabbing onto his mask.</p>
<p><br/>"Wait, do you intend on breaking the bars down? Those two should be considerably stronger than anything else we've seen in here. Isn't this a bit reckless?"</p>
<p><br/>"A bit. But I think we can take them. Besides… I don't wanna stick around all day. The longer we're here, the more likely it is that we get overwhelmed by the regular guards of this place. We're better off at least <em>trying</em> this."</p>
<p><br/>"Well… Alright. But we need to be careful."</p>
<p><br/>"Let's work together then. Just follow my lead, alright?" Makoto nodded in response, as Toya fully unmasked and summoned his Persona. He snapped his fingers as Yama grabbed onto the iron bars, inevitably breaking them off completely. The sound of the iron bars breaking instantly caught the attention of the two guards, who turned towards the direction of the sound as Toya and Makoto jumped into the room, with Toya twirling one of the iron bars around his fingers.</p>
<p><br/>"<strong>You've got some nerve, barging in like you own the place! You won't leave alive!" </strong>One of the guards yelled, as he began transforming, as well as the one standing right next to him. They became two large demonic figures, one that they recognized and one that they didn't. The one that they recognized was the one they encountered when Makoto first awoke to her Persona, with pink and faded red skin and hair. The other one, however, was entirely new. It had the same general figure and posture, but was blue… and had a massive, gaping hole where its face should have been.</p>
<p><br/>"The one that we recognize… You took it down on your own the last time we saw it, right? Think you can pull that off again?"</p>
<p><br/>"Consider it done." Makoto stared at the pink one, unmasking herself to summon her Persona and charging forward on top of it. The demon raised its blade into the air to try and slam down onto her, but it was far too slow to ever keep up with a motorcycle. Makoto was able to drive circles around it without even getting so much as scratched thanks to her speed.</p>
<p><br/>"<strong>You're embarrassing yourself, damn it!" </strong>The blue demon was outraged and went to help out the other one, beginning to charge up a blast of magic. But before being able to fire it off, he felt something stab pierce his arm. He grunted in pain and turned around, only to see Toya standing there with his bow out, eyes focused on the light blue monster.</p>
<p><br/>"Your fight is with me!" Toya yelled, pulling out another arrow and firing at the demon's head again. It swatted the arrow out of the air with its massive blade and started charging forward, raising its blade into the air. Toya smirked, having planned for this. "Yama!" Calling his Persona once more, Yama came out in front of Toya and grabbed onto the sword as it was coming down. The demon struggled and tried to push forward, but Yama wouldn't allow it. Yama held on to the sword tightly, not letting the demon move an inch. Toya twirled the iron bar around his fingers once again before moving forward, spinning it around the air and crashing it into the demon's leg. The demon grunted in pain and started losing balance, but it was strong enough to hold its own still. But that was okay, because it couldn't stop Toya anymore, not without losing its sword to Yama. Because of this, Toya was able to use his grappling hook to get on top of the demon, striking it in the head with the bar. Strike after strike, as the demon could do nothing but take it and try to push down harder.</p>
<p><br/>While this was happening, Makoto was dealing with the other demon, and just like before, she wasn't having much trouble. She drove around it so much that the demon ended up getting dizzy, to the point that it could barely even stand anymore. She saw this as an opening and prepared a blast of nuclear magic, causing a massive explosion and sending the demon into the wall. The demon crashed against the wall with a loud bang, before falling to the ground and fading into mist. As she got done with her side of the fight, she looked over at Toya, who was just about done with his part, too. After striking the demon in its head enough times, it finally lost its grip and fell to the floor, leaving the blade in Yama's hands. With one quick movement, Yama was able to plunge the blade through the demon's chest, finishing it instantly.</p>
<p><br/>"Aaaaaand done. See? That wasn't so bad."</p>
<p><br/>"You're right… But I'm starting to get a bit worn out now…" Makoto felt exhausted after running around for so long today. That didn't really come as a surprise to Toya, considering this was her first full day in the Metaverse. Even he was started to get a little tired.</p>
<p><br/>"Let's stop here for now, then. We've done plenty of work here already." Toya picked up the keys that were left by the demons who had been defeated, pocketing them and walking out of the room. "Come on. Let's get home and get some rest now. We can come back tomorrow, or something."</p>
<p><br/>"Yeah… Alright." Makoto took a deep breath and followed him. She could still move, she just couldn't get into another fight with confidence. Not until tomorrow, at least.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>June 23rd, 20XX (Thursday)</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>After School - Shujin Academy</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After a long night of rest, the next day finally came and Toya and Makoto were both ready to go to the Metaverse again. They met inside of the school this time, and were beginning to walk outside.</p>
<p><br/>"Wait." They heard someone talking to them. They turned around, and saw… a familiar face.</p>
<p><br/>"M-Mishima…!?" Toya was taken aback by Mishima suddenly confronting them. Though, despite the surprised look on Toya's face, Mishima's expression didn't change at all. He stayed completely calm. "Uhhh, h-hey man! What's, uh… What's up?</p>
<p><br/>"...I want to go with you."</p>
<p><br/>"Huh? Wait, what do you mean-"</p>
<p><br/>"I want to go into that other world with you."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. The True Self (1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>During the time period between this chapter and the last, I became an anime protagonist! I'll explain what that means later.</p><p>"Also, what the heck does Mishima think he’s doing?"<br/>We'll get to that soon!</p><p>"Whats Toya's favorite food?"<br/>He's a pretty big fan of Big Bang Burger. That'll make a certain arc down the road a little bit awkward for him.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>June 23rd, 20XX (Thursday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Shujin Academy<br/>
</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>"That's… That's insane. You're insane! You realize how insane you are, right!?" Toya blurted out in shock, taking a step back while staring at Mishima. "That place is like… really, REALLY dangerous! Like, enough to kill someone if they're not super careful!"</p><p><br/>
"I have to agree… Without a way to properly defend yourself, there's no way to tell what could happen to you. You could get hurt, or worse-"</p><p><br/>
"I-If you don't take me there… Th-Then I'll expose you two!" Mishima stuttered and almost stopped short, but he said that while looking right at them. It led to momentary silence between them. Mishima's expression faltered a bit, but he did his absolute best to stay determined.</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>Something's up about him."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"</span><span class="u">Yeah… Mishima would never suddenly call us out like this. He's even threatening us. But… I can't just call his bluff like that. And…</span>" Toya closed his eyes and faced the ground. <span class="u">"...I can't just be mean to the guy, y'know?"</span></p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>Why? He's threatening you."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"</span>
  <span class="u">Well yeah, but… He was my friend. And <em>I'm </em>the one who screwed that up."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>So, that overrules all senses of logic, then? You won't even question why he wants this? You don't know what's going on inside of his head, Jester. For all you could know, he could be trying to find a more definitive way to expose you."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"Him? No… No, that's impossible. He wouldn't do something like that to me. I'm sure of it."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>You really trust that…? Hmph. Very well, then. But keep your guard up. You don't know what will happen next."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
"...Alright. We'll take you there." Toya said, not lifting his head. Even without looking, he could <em>feel</em> the look that Makoto and Mishima were both giving him. Makoto was surprised that Toya was actually willing… and Mishima was surprised that he actually managed to <em>threaten</em> him effectively. There was a big part of him that was expecting this to blow up in his face, but it somehow didn't.</p><p><br/>
"A-Are you sure that's a good idea!? What if Kaneshiro-"</p><p><br/>
"We're not taking him to the bank. That would be a death sentence for him-maybe even for us, if we focus too much on trying to make sure he stays safe. We're taking him somewhere else."</p><p><br/>
"Somewhere else…? What exactly are you referring to?"</p><p><br/>
"…It's hard to explain. To be perfectly honest with you, I don't know much about the place myself." Toya raised his head, looking over at Mishima. "But it's definitely safer than the bank. Will that be enough to meet your demands?"</p><p><br/>
"O-Oh, um…" Mishima stumbled on his words again. "Y-Yeah. That'll work fine."</p><p><br/>
"Well… Alright. If you think it's fine, then sure. How do we get there?" Makoto asked, letting out a defeated sigh. She still wasn't all for the idea, but if it's a safer alternative than taking him to the actual bank, then she could at least accept it.</p><p><br/>
"It's actually in the same area as where we get into the bank. We just have to be in Shibuya. Come on, we'll take the train." Toya turned around and started walking away, with Makoto and Mishima following behind. Mishima had more that he wanted to say, but he opted not to. Things were going… Better than he had expected, deep down. He didn't want to potentially mess it up.</p><p><br/>
As the three of them walked away, a different group of three walked onto the scene. The <em>actual</em> Phantom Thieves that attended the school: Ren, Ryuji, and Ann; accompanied by Morgana.</p><p><br/>
"Did'ja hear all of that?" Ryuji blurted out, watching the prior group of 3 walk away.</p><p><br/>
"That was heavy… But what was that all that stuff they were talking about?" Ann put a hand to her chin and pondered the thought, replaying everything that she heard in her head.</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"..."</span> Ren stared at them. He was getting lost in thought. They were off to go somewhere in Shibuya, and called heading into a bank a 'death sentence'. Unless someone were to get caught trying to rob one, nobody could ever call a bank dangerous, let alone calling a trip there a death sentence. There was something else going on… Or at least, that's what he thought. <span class="u">"I should keep an eye on them…"</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>June 23rd, 20XX (Tuesday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Mementos</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Toya brought them into the Shibuya station, and into the Metaverse. Nobody had accidentally slipped in with them, thankfully. It was just Toya, Makoto, and Mishima. Upon entering the Metaverse, Toya and Makoto had their attires change without so much as a thought.</p><p><br/>
"What's up with that outfit…? Wait, when did you get one too!?" Mishima said, staring at Makoto in a costume that he hadn't seen before.</p><p><br/>
"Oh, this? I got this a few days ago. Though, um… I don't know how to explain how I got it…"</p><p><br/>
"It just means that we can fight anything we come into here with some kind of way to defend ourselves. That's all it really is." Toya said, trying his best to explain it in a way that wouldn't confuse Mishima too much.</p><p><br/>
"Fight… So you do have to get physical in this world! A-Are there monsters?"</p><p><br/>
"Uh… Well, if you're just gonna say it out loud… Yeah, there are. We fight the ones that are in our way to get to someone's heart… and that's how we change it! Or… That's what the Phantom Thieves do, at least. That's what I've gathered from watching them."</p><p><br/>
"...Show me. I want to watch the two of you fight some." Mishima asked, an excited look on his face.</p><p><br/>
"Y-You want to watch us <em>fight</em> the stuff down here? You realize that's more dangerous for you than it is for us, right!?" Toya said in shock, taking a step back. Even still, Mishima's expression didn't change at all. He kept the same excited look on his face as he previously had.</p><p><br/>
"I'll be fine, I just <em>need</em> to see this in action! I'll stay back at a safe distance, or whatever! But I <em>need</em> to see a fight!"</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>...Okay, what's up with him?"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"I have no idea. It doesn't surprise me that he gets excited over this stuff, but… doesn't he realize how dangerous this is? I can't get a read on his motive at all…"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"</span> <span class="u"> <strong>Well, it's only Mementos. I really doubt that there's anything </strong> <em> <strong>too </strong> </em> <strong>dangerous down here. You used to handle these things basically on your own. Now you have Niijima with you, so I'm sure you two can keep him safe."</strong> </span></p><p><span class="u"><br/>
"Yeah. We'll definitely be fine. I'm just confused…"</span> Toya stared at Mishima. What was he planning…? He had no idea. It could be anything, for all he knew. He didn't have a way of figuring out without just straight up asking, but with the looming threat over his head of Mishima potentially exposing both him and Makoto, as well as the fact that he felt as bad as he did… He didn't want to say anything that could potentially get on his nerves.</p><p><br/>
"Fine. But you're staying behind us the <em>entire</em> time, got it? This place is as dangerous as we're making it out to be; especially for someone with no way to defend himself." Mishima ecstatically nodded in response. Toya couldn't get a read on him at all, no matter how hard he tried. Makoto, on the other hand, was much more concerned with his safety, rather than his motive. The motive did make her curious, it was just overshadowed by concern. Regardless, she had to focus more on what was coming. This was her first time ever coming to Mementos, so she wasn't really sure what to expect. She was told it was less threatening than the bank, which did give her some comfort. If she kept her guard up, she'd be able to protect herself while still being able to keep watch over Mishima. She kept this in mind while following Toya down the path that led further into Mementos, with Mishima close behind.</p><p><br/>
The three of them had to go pretty deep into Mementos for anything to confront them-at least, deep for <em>their</em> standards. Toya saw a couple of monsters, but they ended up turning around and running away from them before either Makoto or Mishima could even notice them. But soon enough, they were able to find something that didn't just run away from them. A large, monstrous figure made eye contact with them from a few feet away, and started charging towards them.</p><p><br/>
"W-What the heck is that thing!?"</p><p><br/>
"It's your cue to stay back!" Toya stood far in front of Mishmia and materialized his bow in his hands, as the amalgamation in front of them took its true form, one that… didn't actually scare Toya much. It turned into three corpse birds, the same ones that he saw when he went to Madarame's Palace. They weren't too threatening back then, so they would be even less of a problem for Toya now. "These things are weak. Keep an eye on him!" He called out while looking back at Makoto, before stepping forward and drawing his bow, shooting an arrow straight ahead and through the head of one of the monsters. With how weak the monster was, the arrow alone was strong enough to finish it off without any additional effort.</p><p><br/>
"Where the heck did he get a bow and arrow from!? I-Is he magic!?"</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"</span><span class="u">...Did I sound like this when I first came here, too?"</span> Makoto thought to herself and put her hands on her hips, taking a breath and going back to focusing on Toya… who was starting to show off. It didn't really surprise her, but she was a bit disappointed that he wasn't taking it more seriously anyways.</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"</span> <span class="u"> <strong>Couldn't you at least </strong> <em> <strong>try </strong> </em> <strong>to take this seriously?"</strong> </span></p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"</span><span class="u">Come on, I gotta practice new stuff here! If I try this stuff for the first time in the bank, who knows what'll happen?"</span> Toya thrusted his fist forward, shooting his grappling hook out at one of the monsters and piercing through it. The impact of the hook wasn't enough to kill, but there was enough force for it to get completely stuck inside of the monster. It cried out in pain and tried to free itself, but it couldn't do anything about it. The one that was beside it rushed forward and charged a blast of fire in its mouth, before shooting it out directly at Toya. With his free hand, Toya unmasked himself and summoned his Yama by his side. With a charge of dark magic, Yama was able to completely disintegrate the blast of fire magic that was headed for Toya.</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"</span> <span class="u"> <strong>Have fun explaining </strong> <em> <strong>that </strong> </em> <strong>one to Mishima."</strong> </span></p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it!"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"</span><span class="u"><strong>You'll be there within less than a minute!"</strong></span> Toya focused all of his power into the arm that he fired his grappling hook from, raising it into the air and dragging the monster attached to the hook with it. He raised his arm as high as he could and then slammed it down as quickly as he could. The grappling hook moved along with his arm, propelling the monster attached to it right into the other one. The impact from the two monsters crashing into each other was so fierce that the sound echoed throughout the halls, ensuring that it was more than strong enough to finish them off. With all threats defeated, Toya put his mask back on and took a breath, his bow disappearing from his hands. He turned back around to Makoto and Mishima. Makoto had a disappointed look on her face, while Mishima had a look that… He couldn't even describe.</p><p><br/>
"You… Demon… Magic…? What did… How-" Mishima muttered, his eyes wider than Toya had ever seen before.</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>Told you."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"</span><span class="u">Yeah, yeah…"</span> Toya rolled his eyes and dismissed Osiris, trying to think of how he could <em>possibly</em> explain what he just did to Mishima.</p><p><br/>
"Sooo, uhhhh… That was… Uhh… How do I put this…"</p><p><br/>
"That was… AMAZING!" Mishima yelled out, jumping into the air and completely cutting Toya off.</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>Oh my god."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
"Are you kidding!? This is PERFECT! If you can do cool stuff like that, then this will work even better than I thought!" Mishima kept yelling in excitement, closing his eyes and grinning." Toya stood still, completely dumbfounded.</p><p><br/>
"Huh…? Wait, what do you mean, 'this will work'? Are you planning something?"</p><p><br/>
"That's not important right now! What's important is how AMAZING that was! Hey, can you show me more!? Maybe against something even stronger!?" Mishima said ecstatically, completely dismissing what Toya had asked. He started looking around the room before spotting something on the wall. "Hey, is that a portal? Does that lead to something stronger than those things!?"</p><p><br/>
"L-Listen, I know you're excited and all, but- Hey, where are you going!? You don't know where that thing leads!" Makoto watched Mishima run off towards the portal on the wall and started chasing after him, but before either her or Toya could catch up to him, he had jumped through. "What is he thinking being this reckless...!? Do you know what's on the other side of this portal?"</p><p><br/>
"I've never even gone through these… Come on, we gotta go in too! We can't leave him by himself!" Toya jumped into the portal without any hesitation, with Makoto following immediately after him. The two of them felt reality change around them for a brief moment, before they found themselves inside of a secluded room together. Inside, they saw Mishima, as well as… someone else. Someone that they didn't recognize.</p><p><br/>
"Wait… Is that… a person…!? How the heck did someone else get in here!?" Toya took a step back while staring at him. He wasn't anyone that he recognized… But that still didn't explain things. If anything, it just confused him even more.</p><p><br/>
"Wait, I know this guy's face… Someone told me about him before!" Mishima said, staring at him. "His name is Nozomi Odo… Someone at school told me about him. There are a lot of rumors about this guy. He's the manager of a store and he steals money from cash registers that other people are in charge of, and blackmails them to pay it back in full!"</p><p><br/>
"Seriously…? But why is he here…?" Makoto asked under her breath, trying to make sense of it.</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>I think I'm starting to get a feel for what this place really is…"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"Huh? You are?"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"</span><span class="u"><strong>Perhaps… But it's far too soon to tell. You should try to speak with him and see if you can figure anything out about him."</strong></span> Toya nodded and walked forward, his hands at his sides as he cautiously approached him.</p><p><br/>
"<strong>Welcome, welcome! How may I help you, ladies and gents of the Phantom Thieves?"</strong></p><p><br/>
"Rumor has it that there's a store manager blackmailing his employees. Sound familiar?"</p><p><br/>
"<strong>Hmph. I don't need strangers complaining about how I use this shop's money. Part-time workers are the property of the shop. Thuys, they are mine to use as I will." </strong></p><p><br/>
"Well, the rumors check out! And judging by this crazy aura going on around him…" Toya pulled his bow out and aimed at Odo, glaring. "This is just some cognitive version of Odo-just like we saw with Kaneshiro. That's why he's admitting to all of this."</p><p><br/>
"<strong>I get it now. You pretend to be heroes, but you're all just criminals. I'm gonna kill you!"</strong> He held onto his head and sunk into the ground, before reappearing as some kind of a celtic warrior with a spear in his hand and a scarf around his face.</p><p><br/>
"Whoa! So he's a monster too!?" Mishima said, clenching his fists in excitement.</p><p><br/>
"Just… Stay at a safe distance, alright?" Makoto told him, as she rushed to Toya's side, ready to fight against this cognitive version of Odo.</p><p><br/>
"<strong>Outlaws who dare trespass in my sanctuary… Prepare to be royally obliterated by my hand!" </strong>He yelled, before suddenly rushing forward faster than Toya could see and holding his spear above, slamming down with the broad side of it. Toya quickly raised his fists and tried blocking it, gritting his teeth and trying to push back against him.</p><p><br/>
"This guy is way stronger than those other things…!" He said, grunting and struggling to protect himself.</p><p><br/>
"I got it!" Makoto yelled, rushing Odo while he was busy with Toya. She was able to get a free kick in, followed up by a punch that knocked Odo away. "You alright?"</p><p><br/>
"Yeah, I'm fine. But…" Toya turned his attention back towards Odo. "That attack didn't even scratch him… Our weapons aren't going to do anything to this guy, we need to rely on our Personas!"</p><p><br/>
"<strong>Nothing you do will be enough to stop me!"</strong> He yelled, as he raised his spear into the air. A pink aura appeared around him, increasing his strength by over double what it was before. He rushed towards Toya again, raising the broad side of his spear once more.</p><p><br/>
"Damn it! Yama, come!" He yelled, ripping off his mask and quickly summoning his Persona. He used Yama to fire a blast of dark magic at Odo, making direct contact with him and causing a small explosion, as well as a cloud of smoke covering him. "That should at least do <em>something</em>…"</p><p><br/>
"<strong>Think again!" </strong>Odo yelled from the smoke, jumping out of it with his weapon in the air.</p><p><br/>
"What the!?" Toya raised his fists again and tried to block his attack, but this one was much stronger due to him powering up beforehand. Regardless of Toya blocking, the sheer impact of the attack was enough to push Toya all the way to the other side of the room, crashing against the wall. He grunted in pain as he smashed against it, falling down to his knees.</p><p><br/>
"Johanna!" Makoto yelled out and summoned her Persona, firing her own blast of magic at it. This one caught Odo off guard, and unlike Toya's attack, it did a considerable amount of damage. Odo was pushed back almost as far as Toya was, but to the other side of the room. With Odo out of the way for now, Makoto rushed towards Toya, her Persona still summoned. "Here, let's patch you up…" She put a hand onto Toya's shoulder and raised him up, as her Persona healed his wounds.</p><p><br/>
"Wait, you can <em>heal</em> me…? How-"</p><p><br/>
"My Persona has the ability. That's not important right now though, we need to focus on <em>him.</em>" She said, staring at Odo, who stood back up and started approaching them. As he did, he raised his spear up once more. But this time, instead of charging up an attack, he erected some kind of barrier around him. "A shield…?"</p><p><br/>
"My guess is… it's going to block magic attacks. But it doesn't look that strong. At most, it can probably block one… Actually, it might reflect it back. But it won't be able to block multiple…"</p><p><br/>
"I can't fire off multiple spells at the same time, I can only do one!"</p><p><br/>
"...I'll deal with the barrier then. You wait for the opening and then attack!" Toya yelled, rushing forward with his hand on his mask once again.</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>What are you doing?"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"I'm getting rid of that shield!"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>And just how do you plan on doing- Oh my god, are you really about to do what I think you're going to do!"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"</span><span class="u">Yeah, probably!"</span> He ripped his mask off and summoned Yama once more. Just like last time, he casted dark magic and sent it flying towards Odo. And just like he predicted… the barrier around him kicked in. The barrier faded away on impact, but the spell was still sent flying towards Toya as a result of it., He raised his arms to defend himself, getting hit by his own blast of magic.</p><p><br/>
"Now, Johanna!" Makoto yelled, summoning her Persona and sending out a blast of nuclear magic. The nuclear magic connected with Odo, sending him flying away to the other side of the room once again, and ending the fight in the process. "You're so reckless, you know that…?"</p><p><br/>
"Hey, it worked, right?" Toya said, slowly getting back up. It was his own blast, so it didn't hurt him <em>that</em> badly, but there was definitely a bit of a sting from it. It was nothing he couldn't handle, though. They shifted their attention back to Odo, who had reverted back to his original form.</p><p><br/>
"<strong>Employees aren't property… They're human beings. And yet, I took advantage of them. I-I've done bad things… I don't know how I can ever make up for this…"</strong> He said solemnly, before fading away in a bright light. And all that he left behind was… a book. Toya kneeled down and picked it up.</p><p><br/>
"...So that's how it is…" He said to himself, pocketing the book.</p><p><br/>
"Wow… That… That was AMAZING! Haha, this is perfect!" Mishima started cheering, jumping into the air in excitement. "I never even imagined that I'd see something so amazing… This is so much better than I thought it would be!"</p><p><br/>
"...Okay, enough. It's time you start explaining things." Makoto said, having had enough of the situation "What's so 'amazing' about this? This is dangerous stuff! This isn't something you can make a show of!"</p><p><br/>
"W-What?" Mishima said in surprise, trying to think of a more proper response in his head.</p><p><br/>
"<strong>Is that what you think?"</strong> Suddenly, the three of them heard… something. A voice from behind them, one that sounded… familiar, but still slightly different. Toya and Makoto turned around… only to see a familiar figure standing there. It looked exactly like Mishima did… only with bright, golden eyes.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And now... Things get crazy.</p><p> </p><p>Okay, so for starters, let's talk about what I said at the beginning of the chapter, about how I have become an anime protagonist. If you guys follow me on Twitter, you probably know all about this by now, but I'll explain it to everyone else just in case you don't. (WHICH YOU SHOULD!)</p><p>A few of my friends are working on an abridge of the Persona 5 anime--think something akin to TeamFourStar's Dragon Ball Z Abridged. I auditioned for it, and lo and behold... I somehow got the part of Ren Amamiya! So if you're interested in that... FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER ALREADY!</p><p>But in all seriousness, I'm really happy to be a part of the project. Everyone on the team is great. So from now on, I'll be posting both my Twitter, as well as the Abridged Twitter at the end of every chapter. Seriously, go support it! And there are still a couple of roles that are available, if you're interested in on it!</p><p>Twitter: Kazero5340</p><p>P5Abridged Twitter: P5A_Fandub</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. The True Self (2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Soooooooo... a little over 2 months without posting a single chapter! Weird how that happens, huh?</p>
<p>(I'll give a proper explanation for that at the end, lmao.)</p>
<p>[This chapter includes a Shadow from a Mementos request. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person on the planet who remembers these random ass Mementos requests, but if you're curious and wanna refresh your memory, look up the name said in the chapter once you get to that point.]</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>June 23rd, 20XX (Thursday)</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>After School - Mementos</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Who… W-What are you?"…!?" Mishima's mind raced in a chaotic panic, fully evident by the petrified expression on his face. He was standing face to face with the mirror image of himself. His face. His body. His clothes. Apart from the piercingly bright shade of golden that his eyes took… it <em>was</em> him. Or, at least, it <em>looked</em> like him. But it couldn't be him- or at least, that's what he told himself. "D-Don't ignore me…!"</p>
<p><br/>
"<strong>What a dumb question. You know exactly who I am." </strong>The replica spoke. Even its voice was similar to Mishima's, apart from an odd… distortion. It was like Kamoshida and Kaneshiro in the sense that the voice seemed inhumane; perhaps because it was. "<strong>I'm </strong><em><strong>you.</strong></em> <strong>The 'you' that you're too afraid to let out."</strong> The mirrored Mishima began stepping forward, as Mishima visibly trembled, his body jittering with every step made. "<strong>The things that you think, but never say out loud. What you really see yourself as, but won't ever admit to."</strong> It stopped moving, and began to snicker to itself. "<strong>I am your true self. Your </strong><em><strong>shadow.</strong></em>"</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"Okay, I'll bite… What the HELL is happening!?"</span> Toya stared at the 'Shadow' that was approaching Mishima. It wasn't the first time that he ran into something that looked human in Mementos, but this one felt… different.</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>It's impossible to not draw a similarity to the other versions of Kamoshida and Kaneshiro that we encountered in this world. The likely conclusion is that it's the same thing, but…"</strong></span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"No, this can't be the same thing! Kamoshida and Kaneshiro-they're corrupt adults who pushed other people around! Mishima's not like that… right!?"</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>No, he's not. There's no way he can be hiding something that puts him on a level anywhere </strong> <em> <strong>near</strong> </em> <strong>those two. Not to mention… Kamoshida clearly owned that castle, just as Kaneshiro does the bank. But Mishima… He doesn't own the entire subway system. That's unfathomable."</strong></span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"Then who does!?"</span> Toya was beginning to get more and more frustrated at the entire situation as it unraveled. There were so many questions left unanswered, but he lacked the time to figure out the answer to any of them. <span class="u">"Ugh… It's been months, and we still don't know <em>anything </em>about this place!"</span></p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>...I might have an idea. It's a stretch, but with Mishima showing up here, as well as everyone else that we've seen… There's one thing that comes to mind as a potential answer."</strong></span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"Well, don't keep it to yourself! If you've got an idea, then tell me!"</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>Now's not the time for that! Right now, you need to focus on what's in front of you. Everything we've encountered in this world so far has been hostile. Just because that 'Shadow' has Mishima's face doesn't mean that it's exempt from that!"</strong></span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"Well, yeah, but-"</span> Toya looked at Mishima, then back at the shadow. <span class="u">"I-I</span> can't<span class="u"> just fight it! I mean… It still looks <em>just </em>like him! Remember what happened to Kamoshida after his other self got beat!? What if the same thign happens to Mishima!?"</span></p>
<p><br/>
"Not to interrupt whatever kind of inner monologue you're having, but don't you think we should be doing something about this?" Makoto quickly moved towards Toya and snapped him out of the trance he was in while in conversation with Osiris.</p>
<p><br/>
"We need to know <em>what</em> exactly is happening before we can do anything about it. The last thing I wanna do is get Mishima hurt… But attacking the duplicate might do just that."</p>
<p><br/>
"Fine. But we <em>need</em> to keep a close eye on him., For all we know, the Shadow might attack him before we even do anything."</p>
<p><br/>
"I'll protect him. No matter what…" Toya stared the Shadow down, leaving his hand by his bow, ready to pull it out at any time. "I'm <strong>not</strong> letting him get hurt."</p>
<p><br/>
Their full attention now went towards Mishima, who was still face to face with his Shadow, failing to comprehend just what was happening. "Shadow… My thoughts…? What does that even mean!?"</p>
<p><br/>
"<strong>Come on. What don't you get? I'm </strong><em><strong>you</strong></em><strong>, except I'm not some whiny baby who's too scared to stick up for himself." </strong>It smirked. "<strong>I know </strong><em><strong>everything</strong></em> <strong>about you. And you know </strong><em><strong>everything</strong></em> <strong>about me. It's the things that you don't wanna admit to anyone, not even yourself. Because, at the end of the day… You're just a scared little kid who can't grow up. Isn't that right?"</strong></p>
<p><br/>
"What…!? No… N-No, you're wrong! You're completely wrong! That's… That's not what I am at all!"</p>
<p><br/>
"<strong>Oh, please. What do </strong><em><strong>you</strong></em> <strong>have going for you? Are you gonna go call your precious little Phantom Thieves now, and tell them someone's picking on you!?"</strong> The Shadow broke out into laughter. "<strong>Your </strong><em><strong>heroes</strong></em> <strong>won't do anything to save you! You don't even know who they are! You got tricked into thinking it was your only friend, and what did that become? Just another disappointment!"</strong></p>
<p><br/>
"S-Stop… Stop it! Stop acting like you know me!"</p>
<p><br/>
"<strong>Of course I know you. I even know why you wanted to show up here." </strong>The shadow let out a low laughter, and Mishima started shivering. "<strong>You only got down here for an inside look on how they get things done. I mean, who knows? If you're lucky, you can let out a crazy leak and reap the rewards! At the rate things are going, if they get anymore attention, and ever get negative attention, they'll have one hell of a bounty on their heads! Imagine the reward!" </strong></p>
<p><br/>
"Shut… Shut up! That's not me! <em>You're</em> not me! I would never…" He was lying. Everyone could tell. His voice was just as shaky as the rest of his body, and there were tears of pure shame slowly inching down his face. Doubt and fear were closing in on him. And, in time, completely overpowered him. He turned around and started running. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, hardly paying any attention to what was ahead of him.</p>
<p><br/>
"H-Hey, wait! Mishima!" Toya yelled out, trying to catch him, but he couldn't react in time. Before he could reach him, Mishima jumped through the portal that they came from, completely vanishing from sight. "That idiot! He can't hold his own out there, those monsters will tear him apart! We gotta move!" Toya, completely dismissing Mishima's Shadow, as well as any response from Makoto, rushed after Mishima, jumping through the portal. Makoto was in full agreement, and was only steps behind him.</p>
<p><br/>
They appeared on the other side of the portal, on the same floor that they came from. They looked around for a moment, and spotted Mishima taking a turn to their left, still running away just as fast as he was before. They tried running after him, but as soon as they moved, monsters appeared in front of them, completely blocking their path. "Oh, give me a break! Now is NOT the time for this!" Toya yelled angrily, as he heard even more monsters appearing behind them. There were at least 6 monsters closing in on Toya and Makoto, with more coming at potentially any second. "Damn it, we don't have the time to deal with these things! The more time we spend fighting, the further away Mishima gets, and who knows what the hell he'll run into!?"</p>
<p><br/>
"You go ahead!" Makoto yelled, rushing in front of Toya. She knocked down one of the monsters that were in the way before it could transform into whatever it's true form was. "I'll deal with these things and catch up with you later!"</p>
<p><br/>
"But you're-"</p>
<p><br/>
"Just GO!" She cut him off and quickly unmasked, summoning Johanna and glaring at the monsters. She had a fierce look on her face… She was serious about this. Toya hesitated for a moment, not wanting to leave her alone against everything. But he had to protect Mishima. He nodded, before reluctantly firing his grappling hook towards the ceiling and getting away.</p>
<p><br/>
"Meet me one floor above here when you're done! I'll bring Mishima back as soon as I find him!" He didn't want Makoto to follow him, considering what she was already having to deal with. He was worried enough about what might happen to her as she fought against an entire horde on her own. If she tried chasing him down and needed to fight more of them… He didn't want to think of what could happen to her. He needed to have faith that she would be able to take care of herself. The monsters on the floor weren't the most threatening that they had encountered, especially compared to those that they met in Kaneshiro's bank, but there were still so many of them. She could still get overwhelmed, especially since she was still new to fighting with a Persona. Regardless, he needed to believe in her. He couldn't spend time overthinking the situation and playing the outcomes in his head. He had to focus on his end of the bargain, which was getting Mishima the hell out of Mementos, and back to safety.</p>
<p><br/>
He had to go down several different floors to get to Mishima. Thankfully, there weren't any monsters in their way. The floors were rather short, too. Because of this, Mishima wasn't in any real danger-not yet, at least. But that didn't mean Toya could slow down. Mishima's safety could be compromised at any moment, so he had to keep going as fast as he could. He went down one final flight of stairs, ending up on the eighth and final floor of the layer that he was in.</p>
<p><br/>
He saw Mishima in the center of the room, down on his knees and out of breath. "<strong>What are you doing!? I know why you'd go after Kamsohida, but why me!?" </strong>It was then that Toya could tell that there was someone else in the room-or rather, some<em>thing</em>, and it was standing right in front of Mishima. It was another Shadow, just like the one of Mishima that they saw. It was that of a girl, wearing a Shujin uniform; but she had a malicious aura around her. Her voice was also distorted, just like every other Shadow that they had encountered. Toya found it a bit concerning that these things adhered to any patterns at all, but it helped him make some sense of things that otherwise didn't make any sense at all.</p>
<p><br/>
"I-I'm not going after you! I just thought… Y-You're Mogami, aren't you? Why are you down here!?"</p>
<p><br/>
"Get away from her, Mishima!" Toya ran forward, jumping and landing in front of Mishima. "That's not the real her! That's just… her Shadow, or whatever they're called! The real her is in the real world!"</p>
<p><br/>
"A-A Shadow!? D-Does that mean she'll transform like the other one!?"</p>
<p><br/>
"Just… stay back! I'll handle this thing!" He tried to be confident, but there was a bit of nervousness in his voice. This was the deepest that he ever went into Mementos, and from what he could tell, the monsters got stronger as he got further down. Not only that, but he had just recently got out of a fight with something that originally looked human, and it was by <em>far</em> the hardest fight he had in Mementos. But this one… This one had a certain aura. There were so many things about it that just felt… wrong. She didn't feel <em>evil</em>, per se. And yet, the entire atmosphere of the room seemed malevolent.</p>
<p><br/>
This wasn't the only thing that was worrying him. There was also the fact that he had to try and fight the Shadow off while keeping Mishima safe. If Mishima got hurt, then all of this would be for nothing. Not only that, but he was still worrying about how Makoto was handling herself. She was completely surrounded the last time that he saw her. Was she okay? He had no way of knowing for sure. He just had to hope that it would all work out for her.</p>
<p><br/>
While he was juggling the various different thoughts to panic about, the shadow in front of him began transforming, into a… oversized teddy bear; except it had blood dripping down from its mouth, and… skulls stuffed inside of it. <span class="u">"Yeah, okay. <em>That's</em> totally not the creepiest thing I've ever seen in my life."</span> Saying that he was unsettled by its appearance was a massive understatement, but despite that, Toya knew he had to fight-and win. <span class="u">"S-So, uhh… Got any bright ideas on how I should deal with this thing?"</span></p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>What, are you getting nervous over a teddy bear?"</strong></span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"Do NOT tease me right now! Ugh, nevermind! I'll figure this out myself!"</span> Dismissing Osiris's interjection, Toya brought his bow out and quickly pulled an arrow back, firing it straight at the bear's head. It started tearing through the air… and then, for some reason, it stopped. The arrow halted in place, completely still in mid-air between the two of them. <span class="u">"...Um…"</span> In a state of both confusion and panic, Toya found himself instinctively firing another arrow. And then another. And another. He ended up continuing the process for a good bit, hoping that <em>something</em> would happen.</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, Jester. You are aware of that, yes?"</strong></span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"No, the definition of insanity is hearing a voice in your head try to explain to you that you're insane. Now are you gonna help, or do I have to go through my entire quiver!?"</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>Well, the bear is definitely responsible for the arrows stopping. Perhaps it's some kind of psychokinetic energy?"</strong></span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"Psychokinesis… Great. Just when I thought my life couldn't <em>possibly </em>get any weirder, I find the creepiest looking teddy bear in the world, that just so happens to have mind powers!"</span> Toya sighed and shook his head, trying to clear his mind and come up with some kind of strategy. But a moment later, his heart skipped a beat, as he came to a sudden realization. <span class="u">"Wait, if this thing has psychokinesis, does that mean it can-"</span> Before he had a chance to finish the thought, he saw the arrows begin turning around while they were in mid-air, now pointing straight at Toya and Mishima.</p>
<p><br/>
"GET DOWN!" Toya screamed, turning around jumping towards Mishima. Mishima had completely froze out of pure shock, as Toya pushed him down on his back. The arrows that Toya had originally fired at the bear came right back towards them. As Toya was pushing Mishima down, one of the arrows went right past him, grazing his cheek and drawing blood. It wasn't a deep cut that could never heal, but the speed that the arrows flew at gave him a better scope of what kind of trouble he was in.</p>
<p><br/>
Meanwhile, Mishima was trying to process what had just happened. Before he could realize what was happening, Toya was yelling at him and pushing him down. Now there was blood dripping down from his face, and onto him. "Y-You saved me…?" He muttered, amidst his shock.</p>
<p><br/>
"Yeah… Of course. That's the entire reason I ever looked this stupid thing in the eyes." Toya slowly picked himself back up, turning around to face the bear and raising one of his hands. He wiped some of the blood off of his cheek, trying to regain his composure while coming up with a strategy. He was in trouble-a <em>lot</em> of trouble. That thought reinforced itself as he took a look at his glove, seeing the mark of blood smeared onto it. "...You should stay down. You'll probably be a lot safer like that."</p>
<p><br/>
"Wh-What about you? Can you… even beat that thing?" Toya got quiet. He wanted to give Mishima a response, maybe lift up his spirits a bit, and hopefully even make himself feel better. But a cold reality was setting in Toya's mind. He had absolutely no idea what he could do against this. He usually had an amount of confidence, he's had it ever since he got his Persona. But this… This was different. He felt completely outclassed now.</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"...What do you think? <em>Can </em>we take this thing down?"</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>...It's hard to tell. Regardless, it's unlikely that it just lets the two of you run away. Firing arrows from a safe distance doesn't seem like a viable option, either."</strong></span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"Yeah… I know. Arrows are a waste of time against this thing."</span> Toya tried to evaluate whatever options he had left. There weren't that many, though. <span class="u">"...My arrows are small. That's why that bear is able to reflect them with ease, right? Tiny objects like those probably don't take any effort at all."</span></p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>Presumably, yes. However, we don't know the extent of its power. If it's able to deal with arrows so easily… What would happen were it to put full power into its psychokinetic energy?"</strong></span> Toya couldn't think of a response to that. He didn't want to imagine this thing getting even <em>stronger</em> than it already was. He did have a plan, though. After hearing what Osiris had to say about it, he was a lot more hesitant to try it. But he had so few options-he needed to do <em>something</em>.</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"...It's worth a shot."</span> Toya took another arrow out of his quiver. He was feeling desperate, but at least the desperation made him think of something. He quickly drew his bow, aiming directly at the bear and firing, just as he did before.</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>What are you doing? We just went over how that won't work!"</strong></span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"Alone? Yeah, that does nothing. But…!"</span> Toya got rid of his bow and rushed ahead. As he ditched his bow, the arrow stopped in the middle of its trajectory-all according to his plan. He got in close and jumped ahead, reaching his arm out as he got off of the ground. His hand grabbed onto the arrow that he left in place, gripping it tight while still moving forward.</p>
<p><br/>
This was his <em>only </em>shot. He thrusted his arm towards the bear as he got closer, in a desperate attempt to stab through the bear's psychic field and pierce its head. But as he started moving his arm, he felt his body begin to slow down. He got slower and slower… until suddenly, he stopped. He was still in mid-air with an arrow in his hand, and he couldn't move any of his limbs. His eyes went wide as he lost control of his body.</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"Th-This has to be some kind of sick joke…!"</span> His mind started racing, as he was forced to stare into the bear's dead, demonic eyes. It sent a chill down his spine and made the hair on his body stand up straight.</p>
<p><br/>
The moment of silence, despite feeling like an eternity, only lasted a few seconds. Without warning, Toya was sent flying through the air, without making even the slightest bit of contact with the monster he was against. He got launched flying into a pillar that was next to Mishima, feeling the structure crack as his body smashed against it. His limp body bounced off of it and onto the ground, where he laid; unable to stand and barely conscious.</p>
<p><br/>
Cold sweat trailed down Mishima's face as his gaping mouth struggled to let out the slightest bit of sound. He crawled towards Toya's body, grabbing him and shaking him. "H-Hey, wake up! Come on man, you-you can't give up! You need to keep going!" He did his best to bring Toya back into action, but it seemed like no use. He hadn't moved an inch. He was at least breathing, so he wasn't dead. But he wasn't able to get up… let alone fight.</p>
<p><br/>
Mishima's attention was redirected toward the Shadow, as he turned his head and saw it inching closer to him. It floated through the air, slowly but surely getting closer. "N-No… No, get back! Don't… Don't come any closer!" Mishima couldn't even move. He was scared stiff. He could only stare at the impending doom that was approaching him, and hope. Hope that someone, <em>anyone</em> would save him.<br/>
<br/>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <em>Shadow Mishima: "Your heroes won't do anything to save you!"</em>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
His Shadow's words played in his head again. That feeling of dread he experienced when he first heard them started coming back. He didn't want this to be the end. This <em>couldn't </em>be the end. He prayed and prayed for someone—for ANYONE to come.</p>
<p><br/>
And just when he started losing hope, he heard footsteps. Someone was coming down the stairs. He felt so much relief that he didn't even care who it was, as long as it was someone.</p>
<p><br/>
"<strong>Well, well, well…"</strong> A familiar voice entered his ears and shocked him to his core.</p>
<p><br/>
"N-No way… Not again…" That was all he could mutter to himself in his fear-ridden state. He didn't want to see it again, he couldn't handle looking it in the eyes again.</p>
<p><br/>
"<strong>Look who was right? He really is just another disappointment…" </strong>The voice fully revealed itself. That mirrored version of himself. His Shadow. Just as condescending and nerve wracking as it was before. He looked away from it, but when he did, his eyes met with the demonic teddy bear that was looming just over him, with a menacing aura around it and one arm in the air.</p>
<p><br/>
"No… Get away!" He covered his face with his arms and closed his eyes, as the bear's arm began crashing down towards him. An eternity passed within his mind as he hid his face from danger, until finally… a loud crash sounded throughout the room.</p>
<p><br/>
The sound echoed throughout the room, filling Mishima with pure dread… but to his surprise, no pain came with it. He heard the attack, he even saw a part of it… But he didn't feel it. Reluctantly, he opened up his eyes, only to see a tall, slightly translucent figure standing in front of him, holding off the bear. It was one that he recognized, too.</p>
<p><br/>
"Sorry… For taking so long to get back up…" He heard Toya's shaky voice coming from behind him. He quickly turned his head to see him, just barely standing. There was a blue flame coming from around his eyes, where his mask once was. "Looks like you didn't get hurt at all though. Good… That's good." He softly chuckled to himself, coughing immediately after.</p>
<p><br/>
"Toya…? How are you-"</p>
<p><br/>
"Hey, so… I've been meaning to ask you something for a little bit. To be honest, I think I already know the answer, but… I wanna hear it from you." He started taking slow steps forward, walking past Mishima and in front of Yama. "Everything that thing said, your 'Shadow', or whatever. That's… What you really feel, don't you?"</p>
<p><br/>
"I…" Mishima's words fell flat. He looked down and got silent. He couldn't bring himself to actually say it, but his silence was more than enough of an answer for Toya.</p>
<p><br/>
"Yeah… That's fair. Getting betrayed… I can't imagine what it feels like. And yet, I did that to you. I deceived you. Made you think I was someone I wasn't-some<em>thing</em> I wasn't. So I don't blame you if you hate me, or if you wanna try getting back at me, or… whatever comes to mind. But, I just want you to know something." Toya slowly turned his head back and looked at Mishima. "Even if you never forgive me for what I did… I can't possibly hate you. You're still my friend… Or at least, I'd like for you to be. That's why…" Toya planted his feet on the ground, looking back towards the bear. "That's why I want you to start running. Get upstairs, find Makoto, and get the hell out of here."</p>
<p><br/>
"W-What about you? You… You're not planning on fighting this thing, are you!? You can't beat it!" Mishima's panicked voice fell on deaf ears.</p>
<p><br/>
"...I made a promise, Mishima. I promised myself that I'd protect you. That, for as long as you're here… I'll make sure you can't get hurt. Now <em>go!</em> Move it!" He yelled, as a blue flame intensified around him, beginning to fight back against the monster in front of him once more.</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"He still wants to protect me…?"</span> Mishima, instead of running away, got completely lost in his thoughts as Toya's words echoed in his mind. <span class="u">"Even after he heard everything that my other self said… After hearing what kind of person I really am inside, he still wants to protect me…? Why…!?"</span> The question wracked Mishima's entire head, as he turned around to try and run away. But as he turned, he saw his Shadow again, just… standing there, with a blank look on his face.</p>
<p><br/>
He stopped trying to run away. Instead, he just stared directly at the Shadow. "...You were right." He admitted, a sullen look momentarily appearing on his face. "I'm such a coward… I turned around and tried running away. Running away from him… and running away from myself. I just wanted someone to save me. Whether it be the Phantom Thieves, or him… I didn't care. I just wanted someone to protect me. Someone to… save me from my own head. From all of these stupid thoughts I have about myself." The shadow didn't respond. The condescending nature it once had was now gone, and was replaced by sheer silence. "But I can't do that anymore! I can't just… run away from myself and all of my problems anymore. There won't always be some knight in shining armor trying to save me. I have to do it by myself!" There was a newfound resolution, burning within his soul.</p>
<p><br/>
His Shadow had no other words to say. He looked down and closed his eyes, showing off a faint smirk before disappearing into a bright light. The light slowly went towards Mishima, merging with the resolution that he found in facing himself. It momentarily took him out of the pandemonium that was surrounding him, and brought him to a place of… tranquility, almost. It felt like he had found something he was looking for-an answer he needed for a long, long time.</p>
<p><br/>
But the moment's rest couldn't last forever. Without warning, the sound of a loud crash came from behind him, snapping him back into reality he had temporarily escaped from. He saw Toya fly past him once more, unable to stand alone against the monster he was trying to protect Mishima from.</p>
<p><br/>
"W-Why are you still here…!? Damn it, get out of here already!" Toya tried pushing himself up while staring at Mishima, but ended up falling down on himself. He stared at Mishima, watching him not move an inch, but instead, turn around and stare at the bear head on. "W-What the hell are you doing!? Get out of here! Run!"</p>
<p><br/>
<span class="u">"...No. Not this time. I'm done running away from the world around me!"</span> Mishima clenched his fists, glaring at the bear. <span class="u">"He's giving everything to try and save me…"</span> The bear started charging towards him, the look on its face never changing. But even still, Mishima didn't move an inch. He stood his ground, watching the bear move towards him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was only one thought going through his mind the entire time he stood there.</p>
<p><br/>
"This time, I'll be the one to save you!" He yelled, opening his eyes to reveal a bright, golden shine coming from them, accompanied by a blue flame swirling around the ground beneath him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>You all have the right to smack me if I leave you on a cliffhanger for two months again. Especially when it's *THAT*.</p>
<p>Anyways, so you're probably wondering: the fuck happened? Well, I'm not gonna make excuses, I'll just say it: I lost basically all of my motivation. It was a mix of burnout and taking on a new project (that being Persona 5 The Animation Abridged--coming soon, check for updates on Twitter!) that kinda made me lose a lot of my desire to sit down and write anything. I would always think about writing, but I could never bring myself to actually sit down and... do it. </p>
<p>That's about it. I'm perfectly fine in terms of health and all that--if anything, I've been happier recently. The past couple of months have been crazy. I turned 21, a couple of my friends parodied like, 4 or 5 different songs in my honor (I couldn't explain that one to you if I tried LMAO), and I basically became iconic on Twitter for being *just* the right amount of stupid to the point where it's funny. </p>
<p>Anyways, that's all I've got for now. Hopefully I'll see you... idk, next week? My 2 year anniversary with my girlfriend is coming up on Monday, so I might be kinda busy. I'm also doing a lot of script writing for the abridge, so that takes up my time. But I'll (hopefully) get out another chapter before 2021 comes around so we can at least close this mini-arc up!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>...And no, I'm never gonna try to have a schedule again. If I've learned anything with this story, it's that I'm BAD with schedules lmao.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. The True Self (3)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Last chapter, I said that if I take 2 months to post another chapter, then you all have the right to smack me. </p><p>2 months will have officially passed in about... 6 and a half hours in my timezone. Therefore, I posted on time! That means my schedule is good!</p><p>(fuck)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>June 23rd, 20XX (Thursday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Mementos<br/>
</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Bursting from the point of contact came a massive cloud of smoke, thick enough to practically blind everyone nearby, as the entire room was engulfed by it. Along with it came the sound of a crash, as if an explosion had gone off at the center of the room, resulting in a majority of the room being completely shrouded in its aftermath. The impact of the attack was the only possible cause for such a thing, but even still… Such power was never seen before; not by anyone in the room, at least.</p><p><br/>
On the outskirts of the mayhem was Toya, still on the ground and unable to pick himself up due the fight he had against a foe that was much stronger than him. All he could really do was lift his head and try pushing himself up with his arms, but it was barely of use at this point. He hardly had enough strength left to stay conscious, let alone stand.</p><p><br/>
"M-Mishi… ma…!" He tried calling out to Mishima, but again, to no avail. There wasn't even a trace of a response. Instead, he was simply met with a deafening silence, firmly setting the feeling of uncertainty and dread in his mind, which had quickly become as shrouded as his surroundings were. "D-Damn it, man… Come on! Answer me…!" He tried calling out again, but it ended in the same result. Regardless of this, he kept trying to yell it out, hoping that something, <em>anything</em> would happen.</p><p><br/>
And, in a way, his prayer was answered-albeit not in the way that he was expecting. He heard footsteps, the sound of someone rushing into the room from behind him. Who was it? He couldn't tell. He still couldn't see much, and his lack of consciousness made it even harder to really take in his surroundings. Both his mind and body were dazed, unable to properly function to anything more than the slightest extent. All he was capable of doing effectively was laying still, taking deep and ragged breaths while trying to keep his eyes open. Despite all of this, he could feel something that felt like a hand on his shoulder. Someone had grabbed onto him, but he couldn't tell who-or what, for that matter. "W-Who…?" He quietly spoke, turning his head to try and face whoever was standing by him. He could feel fingers… human fingers. At the very least, feeling the gentle touch of another human gave him some desperately needed comfort. He tried turning his head, but he couldn't make much out, not with the smoke.</p><p><br/>
"Stay still…" He heard a voice that he recognized. He didn't really have much of a choice in the matter but to comply, but knowing that it was someone he recognized helped him put his mind at ease. He closed his eyes and tried to calm down, and to his surprise, he felt his strength slowly coming back to him. He couldn't explain why or how it was happening, but he felt his strength coming back to him. He slowly opened his eyes again and started getting up on his feet again.</p><p><br/>
"But… how…?"</p><p><br/>
"You're lucky I got here in time… If I had shown up even a few minutes later, then…" He heard the familiar voice talking again, but he was able to fully process who it was now. He turned his head to face her.</p><p><br/>
"M-Makoto!? But… I thought you were gonna go back upstairs! Why are you-"</p><p><br/>
"I had a feeling you'd need help protecting Mishima. I had no idea it was anywhere near this bad, though…" She did a double take around the room, now that a lot of the smoke had cleared. "Speaking of… Where exactly is he…?" Toya felt his heart sink in his chest, the emotion entirely visible on his face. He slowly turned back around towards where Mishima was standing earlier. There was still a large cloud of smoke, but it was finally starting to clear up. Toya was terrified-almost too scared to even see what was there, but he had no other choice. He <em>had</em> to know what happened-and he had to hope with every fiber of his being that Mishima was okay.</p><p><br/>
The pure stillness of the room slowly faded away with the smoke, and behind it was that same shadow from before. That bone chilling monstrosity that made him look and feel like a weakling. But, there was… something else. To their shock, especially Toya's, Mishima was still standing. But there was something else as well. His arm was held out towards the shadow, and on his hand was a mechanical-looking gauntlet, colored blue and white. It was durable enough to hold back the shadow, which was more than enough of a testament to its strength.</p><p><strong><br/>
<span class="u">"</span></strong><span class="u"><em><strong>I am thou, thou art I…"</strong></em></span> A voice rang through Mishima's head as he was snapped into reality. He wasn't aware of what was happening or how it came to be. All he knew was that there was a gauntlet he'd never seen before on his hand-and before he knew it, it began raising him up.</p><p><br/>
"W-Whoa!" It was as if the gauntlet had inverted gravity. He quickly rose into the air, his body floating far above the ground, with Toya and Makoto only able to stare at him, completely dumbfounded by the situation.</p><p><em><strong><br/>
<span class="u">"</span></strong></em><span class="u"><em><strong>From the depths of your heart, the contract has been signed. And with it, the power to stand alongside your justice has revealed itself."</strong></em></span> Mishima heard the voice again. It was a voice that was completely new to him-it sounded like an accent someone would have from centuries ago living in another country entirely. But even though he had never heard it before, hearing it now… calmed him. He felt like he knew exactly who was talking to him, even though that couldn't be further from the truth. He then took another look at the gauntlet on his hand, and saw it begin… expanding. It started growing past his arm and towards his torso, beginning to coil itself around his body. Normally, he would be terrified-<em>anyone</em> would be terrified. But for some reason, he felt perfectly fine. If anything, he was getting more and more excited as more of his body was covered.</p><p><br/>
Eventually, it reached his head. What started as a gauntlet on his hand quickly became an entire suit of armor, colored blue and white the entire way through. At the top was a helmet, identically colored to the rest of the armor with a pure white plume coming from the top. From the outside, it looked medieval-but it was <em>far</em> from outdated. From inside of the armor, it looked… futuristic, if anything. He could see anything. He was able to lock onto the shadow, and see way more about it than he could have figured out on his own. He knew how strong it was, how fast it was, what kind of attacks it could use, and what kind of attacks it was weak to. <span class="u"><em><strong>"No more running… From now on, you shall hold your ground and fight!"</strong></em></span> The voice called out to him once more, and this time… Mishima was fully prepared, both mentally <em>and</em> physically.</p><p><br/>
"H...Hey, Mishima! What's happening!?" Toya yelled up toward the suit of armor, which was still high up in the air.</p><p><br/>
"Don't worry about me!" He responded from above, staring directly at the shadow. "We gotta get rid of that thing first! I'll help from up here, so give it your all!" There was a certain confidence to his voice now, one that Toya couldn't fully explain. But he couldn't worry about that, not yet. Right now, he had to listen to what Mishima was telling him. That shadow from earlier was still there, and it wouldn't let them just <em>leave</em>. They had to fight their way out of there… if that was even possible. Toya wasn't exactly <em>excited</em> to fight that thing again. If anything, he was… nervous. Just looking at the thing that made a complete fool of him once before… The idea of fighting it worried him to an extent he couldn't explain with words.</p><p><br/>
Before Toya could properly assess the situation in relation to how he felt, the shadow began rushing ahead, speeding towards him and Makoto. Without much time to prepare himself, he tried reaching for an arrow, but the shadow was quick, and on course to attack the two of them before they had a chance to react.</p><p><br/>
"Not on my watch!" Mishima yelled, holding out his arm. The metallic armor around him began shining, before suddenly… a green aura appeared around the shadow-and as it did, it began to slow down. Both Toya and Makoto looked at it with surprise, before quickly jumping out of the way, easily avoiding the attack. Toya used the opportunity to take aim and fire at the shadow, and as he did, Mishima's armor began glowing again. This time, a blue aura appeared around the shadow instead. The arrow, to Toya's surprise, made direct contact with the shadow. Not only that, but it actually looked like it <em>hurt</em>.</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"Hang on… Are you telling me…"</span> Toya looked back up towards Mishima with absolute disbelief in his eyes. <span class="u">"That armor… is a Persona!?"</span></p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>A Persona, able to manifest itself into a suit of armor…? As if Makoto's motorcycle wasn't bizarre enough…"</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"Yeah… God, this world gets weirder and weirder by the day."</span> Toya shook his head, doing his best to focus on the fight at hand. He could address his feelings and confusion toward the situation later, <em>after</em> the Shadow was dealt with.</p><p><br/>
"It's about to attack again!" Mishima warned Toya and Makoto. They nodded in response, preparing themselves for the Shadow that was now charging into them. Quickly unmasking, Makoto got on top of Johanna and began charging straight in, a fierce look on her eyes.</p><p><br/>
"Wait! If you rush straight in, it can stop you with-"</p><p><br/>
"I won't let it!" Mishima interrupted Toya's speech, before inflicting yet another debuff onto the Shadow. A red aura appeared around it as it attempted to use its psychokinetic powers again, this time on Makoto. However… it was significantly weaker than it had been before. With the power of his Persona, Mishima was able to weaken the monstrosity, to the point where its powers weren't nearly as effective as they were against Toya. Factoring that in along with how much more power was needed to stop a motorcycle that was headed straight in, and the conclusion was easy to spot. Without much effort, Makoto was able to ram directly into the Shadow and send it flying through the room, before crashing into the wall and creating a visible crack.</p><p><br/>
"My turn!" Toya yelled as he fired his grappling hook directly at the Shadow, stabbing it with its sharp end. He smirked and chuckled, before yanking it back towards him, dragging the shadow along. He made a fist with his free hand, planting his feet firmly in the ground as the shadow was flying back towards him. "Time for some PAYBACK!" He yelled as the shadow got right in his face. With all of the strength he could muster, he brought his fist up from the ground and uppercut the shadow. Thanks in part to the shadow's lowered defenses, the force of the attack was more than enough to send it high into the air, going as far as the ceiling and smacking against it, before slowly falling back down.</p><p><br/>
"I'll finish this!" Mishima yelled, as he extended his arms out to his sides, before bringing them together, the palms of his gauntlets facing the shadow and glowing bright. "Fire! GALAHAD!" He yelled out to his Persona, as a burst of bright white energy came from his gauntlets, making direct contact with the shadow and sending it to the ground. Its body turned black with a tint of red as it fell down, sinking into a puddle of the same color on impact. It came back up a few moments later, but this time in the form of a schoolgirl, the one that Toya and Mishima saw when they first got there. As she came to the ground, so did Mishima, his Persona slowly fading away, as well as a large chunk of his consciousness.</p><p><br/>
"Mishima!" Toya ran towards where he was landing, while Makoto stepped towards the shadow of the schoolgirl they had just fought. Toya jumped up into the air and caught Mishima, trying to shorten the fall as gently as possible.</p><p><br/>
"Geez… I get my moment, and someone still has to catch my fall at the end of it?" Mishima softly laughed under his breath. "Thanks…"</p><p><br/>
"You're thanking me? If you hadn't done what you did… I wouldn't be here talking to you now. You saved the day, man. I'm not taking any of that credit." Mishima smiled. He was too exhausted to have much more of a conversation than that.</p><p><br/>
Interrupting the brief moment of silence came the shining of a bright light. Toya turned his head back and saw that the shadow was now gone, with Makoto walking towards him. "Is he okay…?" She asked nervously.</p><p><br/>
"Yeah. He'll be fine." Toya slowly lifted him up and put Mishima's head on his shoulder, keeping him in the air. "He's a heck of a lot stronger than he looks. Anyway, come on. We need to get him back to the real world." He said, carrying Mishima towards the portal in the room. "Oh yeah, one more thing."</p><p><br/>
"Hm?"</p><p><br/>
"I just wanted to say… Thanks. I don't think I ever would've been able to get through this if it wasn't for you. I know we got off on the wrong foot, but… I'm really glad that I can count on you. So… Thank you, Makoto." She was taken aback by that. He had never really shown her any gratitude before-not any <em>real</em> gratitude, at least. For the longest time, the bond between them felt… work-oriented, in a weird way. But, for the first time, it felt like she was being treated as a friend. She hadn't felt that kind of genuine appreciation from someone outside of her family in a long time, so she wasn't able to fully process it. But she didn't mind the warm feeling it gave her. Without being able to come up with much of a verbal response, she nodded her head and smiled. Toya felt like the bond between them was getting closer as well—or rather, that it felt like it was becoming an <em>actual</em> bond for the first time. Maybe the two of them could get along one day. At least, that was the hope that they kept in the back of their minds while making their way out of Mementos.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>June 23rd, 20XX (Thursday)</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After School - Shibuya </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>"Y-You didn't have to treat me, you know…" Mishima said awkwardly, turning his head away.</p><p><br/>
"Come on, it's the least I can do! Just take the chance to enjoy yourself, man." Toya responded, attempting to reassure Mishima. The two of them sat across from each other in the local diner. "I'd have told Makoto the same if she were here. Too bad she had to go home immediately after we got back…"</p><p><br/>
"You two have gotten really close over the past while, huh?"</p><p><br/>
"I wouldn't say <em>that</em>. If anything, we just grew more tolerant of each other. I like to think that we're slowly becoming friends, though." Toya looked down for a moment. "Life's been coming at me pretty quick the past few months. I guess you can relate to that now, huh?"</p><p><br/>
"Well, yeah! I never would have imagined that you guys have been doing <em>this</em> the entire time! And that power..."</p><p><br/>
"Yeah, it's a lot to take in… I remember when I first saw it in action. It wasn't until I got my own that I got used to it, but it took me <em>way</em> longer. You got yours right away compared to me! But, I wanted to ask you… How do you feel about it? You know, being able to use that kind of power."</p><p><br/>
"It's…" Toya braced himself for the worst. "It's… IT'S THE COOLEST THING EVER!"</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>Oh my god."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
"I-I mean, you SAW that, right!? I was like… FLYING!"</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>He's just like you."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"Oh, lighten up. At least he's happy about it!"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<span class="u">"<strong>That's putting it lightly."</strong></span>
</p><p><br/>
"Wait… I-Is that how you guys are dealing with Kaneshiro!?"</p><p><br/>
"Shhh! Not so loud!" Mishima covered his mouth, not realizing how loud he was being. Toya took a look around the diner to make sure nobody was paying too much attention to them. "...Yeah. That's how we're dealing with Kaneshiro. It's really dangerous, though."</p><p><br/>
"Then… Let me come with you!"</p><p><br/>
"I just told you it's dangerous! Are you sure that you wanna-"</p><p><br/>
"What we experienced today was dangerous too, right? I can totally help keep you two safe! If we all stick together… Then what's the worst that can happen?"</p><p><br/>
"...Alright. If you're positive about it… and if you promise to follow our lead… Then you can come with us."</p><p><br/>
"R-Really!? Okay, I promise! I'll follow your lead! I swear!"</p><p><br/>
"Alright, alright!" Toya couldn't help but smile. Seeing how excited Mishima was… It made him really happy. To his surprise, the day actually ended up going really well for him. It was scary at first… and there were times where he thought he wouldn't make it. But somehow, things worked out better than he could have ever imagined. He had <em>another</em> Persona user on his team, and his bonds were getting closer and closer. Life was looking up for Toya… and it made him genuinely happy. He hadn't felt this comfortable since before he moved in with his brother. Life was definitely different, but… In a good way.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And after... like, 4 months, the arc has finally come to an end. </p><p>This arc was a doozy. Or, more specifically, this entire time period of my life has been a doozy. Over the course of these months, my life has changed so much, hence why it took so damn long for this chapter to actually come out. But, finally... I finished the arc. And thank god, because it was really getting to me that I was taking so long to finish it. </p><p>Anyway, I don't wanna keep you here for too long, so I'll keep updates brief. The first episode of our Persona 5 The Animation abridge came out about a month ago! It might be hard to find on YouTube since there are definitely multiple people who've tried abridging the anime, but if you wanna watch it, go check P5A_Fandub on Twitter. You can find them in my Twitter bio as well, if that's easier for you. So yeah, go check that out! If you don't remember, I voice Joker/Ren Amamiya in it. It's my first time actually doing any voice acting, so I'm really excited to have it out there. </p><p>That's all I really wanna say for now. More chapters... whenever I get the chance lmao. Love y'all.</p><p>Twitter: Kazero5340</p><p>And hey, since it's been a while, I'll put Toya's confidants at the bottom of this. I'll also give an update on everyone's Persona, since it's been a REALLY long time since we've seen stats. This'll also be our first look at Mishima's!</p><p>Osiris [The JESTER] - Rank 3<br/>Ren Amamiya [The FOOL] - Rank 1<br/>Takuto Maruki [The EMPEROR] - Rank 2<br/>Makoto Niijima [The CHARIOT] - Rank 2<br/>Yuuki Mishima [WHEEL OF FORTUNE] - Rank 4<br/>Ryuji Sakamoto [STRENGTH] - Rank 1<br/>Eishi Kazero [DEATH] - Rank 5<br/>Goro Akechi [The SUN] - Rank 1<br/>Kai Kazero [JUDGEMENT] - Rank 5</p><p>Yama (Toya's Persona)<br/>Level 25<br/>Trait: Synergistic Mind (Guaranteed to land a Critical Hit after a Baton Pass)<br/>Affinity: Weak to Bless, Strong against Curse</p><p>Skills:<br/>Eiga - Medium Curse damage to 1 foe.<br/>Maeiha - Light Curse damage to all foes.<br/>Skull Cracker - Medium Physical damage and inflict Confuse (medium odds) to 1 foe.<br/>Evil Touch - Inflict Fear (high odds) to 1 foe.<br/>Rampage - Light Physical damage to all foes.<br/>Counter - 10% chance of reflecting Physical attacks.</p><p>Next Skill (Level 25):<br/>Evil Smile - Inflict Fear (medium odds) to all foes.</p><p> </p><p>Johanna (Makoto's Persona)<br/>Level 24<br/>Trait: Gaia Pact (Increase allies' chance of inflicting Burn/Freeze/Shock by 25%.)<br/>Affinity: Weak to Psychokinetic, Strong against Nuclear</p><p>Skills:<br/>Freila - Medium Nuclear damage to 1 foe.<br/>Mafrei - Light Nuclear damage to all foes.<br/>Vajra Blast - Medium Physical damage to all foes.<br/>Diarama - Moderately restore HP of 1 ally.<br/>Rakukaja - Increase Defense of 1 ally for 3 turns.<br/>Makajama - Inflict Forget (high odds) to 1 foe.</p><p>Next Skill (Level 27):<br/>Energy Shower - Cure Confuse/Fear/Despair/Rage/Brainwash of party.</p><p> </p><p>Galahad (Mishima's Persona)<br/>Level 24<br/>Trait: Knight's Assistance (Will follow up on ally's critical hits with Flash)<br/>Affinity: None</p><p>Skills:<br/>Flash - Medium Almighty damage to 1 foe. (Can only be used through Knight's Assistance)<br/>Tarunda - Decrease 1 foe's Attack power for 3 turns.<br/>Rakunda - Decrease 1 foe's Defense for 3 turns.<br/>Sukunda - Decrease 1 foe's Agility for 3 turns.</p><p>(Galahad will learn new spells as Mishima's confidant rank goes up.)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Bank of Gluttony (3)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter was posted today because someone on Twitter asked if I could post the next chapter to this story on their birthday!</p><p>...At least, that's what I WOULD say, if their birthday wasn't almost exactly 2 months ago. Happy belated birthday to you, buddy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>June 24th, 20XX (Friday)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Afternoon - Shujin Academy</b>
</p><p> </p><p>After what felt like an eternity, the next day had finally come. And, from Toya’s perspective, the atmosphere of the entire world felt… different. It felt brighter, and full of hope. It was a good feeling that he couldn’t shake, not that he minded. His entire mood was visually different, and anyone who was paying any kind of attention to him would be able to tell.<br/><br/></p><p>Unfortunately for him, there was someone that was paying <em> very </em> close attention, someone that was in the same class as him: Ren Amamiya, the leader of the Phantom Thieves. After the scene he witnessed yesterday after class, he didn’t think Toya would be in a good mood at all--yet for some reason, that isn’t the case at all. Toya’s happier than usual; and on top of that, he’s interacting with Mishima. Those two didn’t look to be on amazing terms yesterday, but today… That’s different. It was like they were best friends this entire time. He took his phone out, opening his messages and typing something to his friends.<br/><br/></p><p>REN: You guys remember what we heard yesterday, right?</p><p>RYUJI: Y’mean that group of three, talkin’ about a bank or somethin’?</p><p>REN: Yeah.</p><p>REN: ...Something’s bothering me about it.</p><p>ANN: You noticed it too?</p><p>RYUJI: Huh? </p><p>REN: Toya and Mishima are acting like nothing ever happened. Like they’re best friends.</p><p>REN: Doesn’t that seem weird to you?</p><p>RYUJI: I mean, a little…</p><p>RYUJI: But c’mon, it’s probably nothing! Those two were probably just going through some stuff, but they met up and talked it out!</p><p>ANN: Yeah. This is probably nothing. Kind of weird, but nothing <em> bad. </em></p><p>RYUJI: Exactly! Besides, we’re probably just bein’ antsy cuz we haven’t done anything as Phantom Thieves in like, a month!</p><p>RYUJI: We gotta get a new target already!</p><p> </p><p><span class="u">“...”</span> Despite Ryuji’s attempt at reassurance, Ren couldn’t shake the feeling that he was missing something. He had no idea what, but… There was definitely <em> something </em> going on. Something that he couldn’t figure out yet.<br/><br/></p><p>“This is really getting to you, huh?” Morgana whispered from inside of Ren’s desk, slightly poking his head out. “You know, there’s no harm in following them around after school to see if they’re hiding something.”<br/><br/></p><p>“I can’t just stalk them…” Ren replied underneath his breath. “Besides, what if they see me?”<br/><br/></p><p>“Hey, I’m the master of being stealthy! I’ll make sure they never see you!”<br/><br/></p><p>“We literally found you locked in a prison cell…”<br/><br/></p><p>“T-That was a different time!” Ren chuckled in response to that. “Anyway, it’s still a good idea. If they’re not up to anything, then we’ll just leave them alone.” As Morgana spoke, Ren heard the sound of the bell ringing, signaling the end of classes for the day. As the bell rang, he saw Toya move towards the front of the room to where Mishima was sitting. The two of them nodded at each other and left the room. </p><p><br/>“...Alright. Let’s get moving quick.” Ren picked his bag up and got out of the room, trying to keep some distance between him and the other two, but not enough to the point where he’d lose sight of them. He ultimately followed them outside, where they met up with Makoto. “She’s the student council president, right? Why’s she hanging out with them...?” He whispered, trying to get a better understanding of the entire situation. It was the same group of 3 as yesterday, and they seemed to be in high spirits--especially compared to before. </p><p><br/>They didn’t waste any time in walking away from the school, heading toward the nearby subway station. Ren knew it’d be a lot harder to effectively hide from them in a place so crowded, but he tried it regardless. “Just stay in a crowd. They won’t notice you if you blend in with everyone else.” Morgana spoke from inside the bag as Ren went down into the subway station. He had no problems getting on a train unnoticed, and made it a point to stay out of sight. </p><p><br/>“So it’s a bank now, right? How do we get there?” He overheard Mishima talking to the rest of the group.</p><p><br/>“We shouldn’t talk about this here. Let’s wait until we’re off the train, alright?” Toya responded to him. Ren sighed, knowing that it would have been too easy if he just overheard <em> everything </em>. It was enough to confirm that they have something to hide though, which was definitely a step up compared to what he knew before. “Just make sure you stick next to us and we’ll be there in no time.” Ren put his hands on his pockets and closed his eyes. He had no choice but to wait until they got off the train and follow them after. </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>June 24th, 20XX (Friday)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>After School - Shibuya</b>
</p><p> </p><p><span class="u"><b>“...I don’t like this feeling.”</b></span> Osiris spoke in a soft tone, getting Toya’s attention.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">“Huh? What’s wrong?”</span>
</p><p><b><br/><span class="u">“It feels like we’re being watched… Is somebody following us?”</span></b> Toya stopped and turned his head, but he couldn’t spot anyone that seemed like they were following him, aside from Makoto and Mishima. </p><p>
  <br/>
  <span class="u">“Doesn’t look like it… Pretty sure you’re just imagining things.”</span>
</p><p>
  <b><br/><span class="u">“Maybe, but still…”</span> </b>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">“Don’t worry. Even if someone’s trying to follow us, we’ll lose them as soon as we get into the Metaverse. Just gotta make sure nobody sees us go in, and we’ll be fine!”</span> Toya reassured, before signaling Makoto and Mishima to follow him into the nearby alleyway while pulling his phone out of his pocket. </p><p><br/>Ren couldn’t speed up from within the crowd. Everyone around him was moving too slowly, and it took him a bit of time to actually slip away. He couldn’t see the group anymore, but he remembered the direction that they went in. He sped up to try and catch up to them, still making sure to act like he wasn’t just following them. He ended up following the trail and finding himself at the entrance to an alleyway, but… There was nobody inside. He couldn’t see a single person, it was just… empty. “Did… Did I go the wrong way?”</p><p><br/>“That’s impossible… They definitely went this way!” Morgana yelled, prompting Ren to go further into the alley, checking to make sure he wasn’t just missing them. But, no matter where he looked… He couldn’t find anything. </p><p><br/>“Where could they have gone? It’s not like they could just disappear into thin air--”</p><p>
  <em><br/>He felt his hair stand up straight.</em>
</p><p><br/>“...Morgana?”</p><p><br/>“Hm?”</p><p><br/>“...We’re in Shibuya. Right underneath us is the subway station. And, in the Metaverse… That turns into Mementos, right?” He spoke in a soft and careful tone while slowly taking his phone out. </p><p><br/>“Well, yeah… Why?” </p><p><br/>“If they disappeared, then is it possible that they…” His words trailed off, but Morgana knew what he was implying. The idea of it shook him as well, but he couldn’t deny that it was possible. He didn’t verbally respond. Instead he looked up at Ren with confused, and nervous eyes.</p><p><br/>REN: They disappeared.</p><p>ANN: Hmm?</p><p>REN: The three of them vanished into thin air.</p><p>REN: ...In the middle of Shibuya. </p><p>ANN: Wait, did you follow them!?</p><p>RYUJI: Hold on. What do you mean they disappeared?</p><p>RYUJI: You sure you didn’t just lose ‘em?</p><p>REN: I’m positive. </p><p>REN: They went into an alley, and by the time I went in, they were gone. There’s no trace of them at all. </p><p>REN: They… Might have gone into Mementos.</p><p>RYUJI: Whoa, what!?</p><p>REN: It makes sense. That’s what happens whenever we go there, right?</p><p>REN: They were even in the middle of the city. There’s nowhere else they could be. </p><p>RYUJI: We gotta check! I’ll be there in a minute!</p><p>YUSUKE: Please wait a moment.</p><p>YUSUKE: We’re not together. Is entering Mementos when we’re not together really such a good idea?</p><p>ANN: I’m with Yusuke on this one…</p><p>ANN: I don’t like the idea of us stalking someone, either. </p><p>ANN: Besides, doesn’t Toya know who we are? What if we made him mad and he leaked it?</p><p>RYUJI: Well…</p><p>REN: ...You’re right. </p><p>RYUJI: Huh!? You wanna drop this!?</p><p>ANN: We’re in the same class as him. If something is really wrong, then we’ll notice it. </p><p>ANN: But going after a guy who might not have done anything wrong is just jumping the gun, don’t you think?</p><p>RYUJI: I mean yeah, but…</p><p> </p><p><span class="u">“...”</span> Ren stopped to think. <em> Could </em> this be explained any other way? Was it actually possible that he had just lost them? It probably was, now that he looked back on it. He was in the crowd for quite some time. Maybe he <em> did </em> see it wrong. Maybe he was overreacting. But… Something in his gut was telling him that he wasn’t wrong about this. He couldn’t explain exactly why, and there was a good chance that he <em> was </em>wrong. But even still, he couldn’t just write off this feeling, no matter how hard he tried. </p><p><br/>“You think that they went in, huh?” Morgana chimed in, poking his head out of Ren’s bag and looking up at him. </p><p><br/>“...Yeah. I don’t really see where else they could have gone.”</p><p><br/>“Well, maybe they <em> did </em> go into the Metaverse, but I don’t know if we’ll find them in Mementos.”</p><p><br/>“What do you mean?”</p><p><br/>“Remember what they were saying on the train? They were talking about going to a bank. If that’s the case… then they probably didn’t go into Mementos.”</p><p><br/>“You mean… They’re in a Palace…!?”</p><p><br/>“Maybe. We can’t say for sure. Either way, we’re not going to get anywhere by just standing around here. Let’s head home and think things over some more.” Ren nodded. Morgana had a point--there wasn’t anything that they could really do about all of this. They had no choice but to just move on. If something was really wrong… then that would reveal itself sooner or later. </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>June 24th, 20XX (Friday)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>After School - Kaneshiro’s Bank (Laundering Office)</b>
</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, One… Two… Three!” On the count of three, Toya and Makoto turned the keys to the giant vault that they found last time they were in Kaneashiro’s Bank. The gears of the vault began spinning, and before they knew it, the path forward opened up. “There! That wasn’t too bad!”</p><p><br/>“We got the timing wrong three times…” Makoto said, closing her eyes and taking a sigh of relief. </p><p><br/>“Well… At least it’s open! Progress, right?”</p><p><br/>“I suppose…” Makoto opened her eyes, staring at what was beyond the vault-shaped door. A long, narrow hallway with a door at the end of it, as well as money practically falling from the sky, floating through the air. “On that map we found, this was the last room. I was hoping that the ‘Treasure’ would be behind that, but instead… We might not even be close.” </p><p><br/>“Yeah… I wonder if there’s a second map lying around somewhere? It’d help a lot…” </p><p><br/>“Your wish is my command!” Said a voice coming from above. Toya and Makoto looked up to see Mishima descending down from the floor above, from within his suit of armor. “While I was looking around, I found <em> thi </em> s <em> !” </em> He triumphantly held a map up to the sky, much to the surprise of the others. </p><p><br/>“Seriously!? Awesome!” Toya congratulated Mishima and walked towards him, taking the map out of his hands and looking over it. </p><p><br/>“I thought you agreed not to go off exploring on your own! Do you have any idea how much trouble you would’ve been in if you ran into Shadows while the two of us were trying to open this!?” Makoto tried scolding him, being the most sensible of the bunch. But Mishima mostly shrugged it off, his excitement proving too strong. </p><p><br/>“Come on! You can’t bring me to a whole new world like this and expect me <em> not </em> to look around! Especially when I have Galahad!” He started floating around the room and laughing to himself, leaving Makoto mostly speechless. She decided to turn the other cheek and looked towards Toya, who was still checking the map. </p><p><br/>“Kaneshiro’s Treasure is probably pretty deep in here… that said…” Toya trailed his finger along the map, before pressing down on one spot. “There! This is where the Treasure should be!” Makoto stepped towards him and looked at where he pointed; as did Mishima, who was coming down from the sky.</p><p><br/>“That’s still pretty far away. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.” Makoto said, taking a step back and taking another look down the narrow hallway.</p><p><br/>“Yeah, but it looks like we’re at least halfway done with this place, if not more. We can totally find his Treasure today!” Toya put the map away and stepped next to Makoto, with Mishima behind them. They stepped into the pathway that was behind the vault, and we’re immediately taken aback by just how much <em> money </em> there was. It was ridiculous. More money than anyone could <em> ever </em> need. It was overwhelming, and, in a way… infuriating. “This money… It all probably represents all the money he’s taken from blackmailing people. Right?” Toya clenched his fist. “I guess this is why Kai wanted me to deal with this guy. But still…!” </p><p><br/>“That just means we gotta stop this guy. Change his heart and make him pay!” Mishima’s innocent excitement gave a weird sense of reassurement that Toya couldn’t fully describe. Regardless, he was right. The three of them had to focus on getting to Kaneshiro’s Treasure and taking it from him. With that in mind, the three continued forward. Turning a corner, they found another hallway, but this time with two security cameras and two Shadows. </p><p><br/>“There’s no getting past them quietly. We can’t get spotted by the cameras, otherwise more Shadows are gonna show up.” Makoto tried evaluating the situation, staring at the scene for another moment before reaching a conclusion. She turned her head towards Toya. “The cameras are turning on and off, but our window of passing through them while they’re off is too short with the Shadows there. You’re gonna need to take care of the cameras.”</p><p><br/>“Easy.” Toya got up and started drawing his bow, aimed at the first camera. “This one’s an easy shot, but the other one is gonna take a second to aim. I’m gonna need you to distract the Shadows while I go for it.” </p><p><br/>“That’s fine. Let’s go.” She signaled Mishima to follow her, while Toya stayed behind and kept his eye on the camera. He waited for them to get close, before shooting an arrow straight at the camera in his sight. It pierced right through it, effectively destroying the camera instantly. The Shadows instantly noticed it and looked to see who did it, but by the time they did, Toya had ducked down and gotten out of sight. Not only that, but Makoto and Mishima were approaching them, ready to fight.</p><p><b><br/>“Intruders!” </b>The shadows yelled out, before transforming into their real forms. They were two of the same red demons that they saw last time they were here. After what they saw in Mementos yesterday, this was nothing too Makoto, she wasn’t even slightly concerned about it. One of the two immediately rushed into her, trying to smash its massive blade down onto her. But as soon as it started moving, Mishima took the chance to use his Persona’s power to slow the demon down, making it more than easy enough for Makoto to dodge. With the free opportunity she had to attack, she quickly raised her leg and into the air and delivered a roundhouse kick right to the demon’s head, sending it back the other way and onto the ground, dissolving into nothingness only moments later. She was happy with how much stronger she was getting, taking a moment to really take in how much different things were compared to a week or two before. </p><p><br/>“Behind you!” Mishima yelled, snapping her out of her moment’s respite. Makoto turned her head and saw the other demon looming over her, ready to strike. But before it could do anything, an arrow was shot directly into its eye, pushing the monster back away from her. This was followed up by a hook piercing its chest, and Toya being dragged through the air with his hand in a fist, punching the shadow as soon as he got in close and sending it down to the ground, finishing it off entirely. </p><p><br/>“I take my eye off of you for a couple seconds, and you got yourself in <em> that </em> much trouble?” Toya said, looking back with a sarcastic grin on his face. Makoto pouted a little, averting here yes away. It was a bit embarrassing, needing to be saved like that when it was a situation she could have handled on her own. It made her realize that her own strength wasn’t the only thing that mattered, though. If she wanted to get through this without needing to be saved, she needed to be more aware of her surroundings in the Metaverse, too. Still, this was good motivation for her, and good tell of what she needed to focus on from here on.</p><p><br/>The group continued on without many problems. They were able to avoid a lot of Shadows that they saw, and whenever they <em> did </em> have to fight, it was nothing that they had to be concerned about. The three of them made a surprisingly good team. Mishima was able to weaken every foe that they ran into, while Toya and Makoto were both smart <em> and </em> strong enough to find an easy way to deal with them. They kept going through the bank, until they found themselves in a large, <b>large</b> room, with multiple flights of stairs throughout it. They looked around for a minute, until something caught Toya’s attention. At the very bottom of the room, surrounded by multiple guards, was the shadow of Kaneshiro, with a troubled look on his face. Toya looked back to Makoto and Mishima, putting one finger to his lips to signal them to keep quiet, then started slowly moving ahead with the two following close behind. They slowly moved down the nearby stairs, still doing their best to stay out of sight but getting in close enough to start making out what Kaneshiro was saying. </p><p>
  <b><br/>“Security has been reinforced, sir. There’s no way that anyone will be able to sneak in from this point.” </b>
</p><p>
  <b><br/>“Good.. That better continue to be the case, you hear? Under no circumstances can anyone let those rats slip in here again!” </b>
</p><p><br/>“That’s Kaneshiro’s voice… So this is his Shadow, right?” Mishima asked, not having gotten a good look at him yet.</p><p><br/>“Yeah, that’s him alright.” Toya did his best to peek over at the scene whilst remaining hidden. “There’s three other Shadows there… They look tough. Nothing like the ones we’ve been dealing with until now.”</p><p><br/>“Let me get a look.” Mishima took Toya’s place and looked over. He saw the Shadows that Toya was talking about, and right behind them… he saw Kaneshiro. The sickly purple skin, along with the tiny mustache and everything else about his appearance. “WHAT THE HECK IS THAT THING!?” He blurted out without thinking, quickly alerting everyone nearby. </p><p><span class="u"><b><br/>“So much for being stealthy…”</b></span> Osiris rang out in Toya’s head, not sounding very surprised, but still disappointed. Mishima looked back towards Toya and Makoto, who were… struggling to actually respond to what had just happened. Ultimately, Makoto was the one who spoke up.</p><p><br/>“Well, no point in hiding now. Let’s move!” On her call, the three of them moved in, stepping up to Kaneshiro. </p><p>
  <b><br/>“How did you get this far!? What about my security!?”</b>
</p><p><br/>“Come on. You call<em> that </em> security? We barely even had to think about any fight that we got into!” Toya put his hand to his mask, ready to fight right here and now. Kaneshiro took a nervous step back, turning his gaze to the guards. </p><p><b><br/>“H-Hey, finish off these vermin here! Keep them away from the elevator at all costs!”</b> He did his best to be assertive about it, but he wasn’t able to fully hide the nervousness that was in his voice. Regardless, his security was loyal, and intended on doing exactly as he said. The three Shadows stepped forward and quickly took their true forms. Toya and Makoto could recognize the ones on the right and the left. The large pink demon with long hair, and the blue demon with a hole where its face should be. The one in the middle, however, was entirely new to them. They couldn’t tell what it was, due to the golden armor and helmet it was wearing. Something about that made it even more intimidating than the other two. </p><p><br/>“You took that pink one on your own last time. Think you can do it again?” Toya asked, turning over to Makoto. </p><p><br/>“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Last time we ran into it, there were only two, so we could split up and be fine. But now there’s three of them… One of us will get overwhelmed like that. Unless…” She stopped for a moment, before hatching an idea. “I’ll keep two of them distracted. You take down the other one and even the odds!” </p><p><br/>“Wha--!? Are you sure that you can--”  Before Toya could finish his thought, Makoto summoned and mounted on top of her Persona, charging into both the pink and armored demons. The two of them dodged out of the way and looked towards her, diverting their attention solely at her as she began driving around the room. “She’s supposed to be the smart one! Ugh… Mishima, cover her! I’ll deal with this thing on my own!” He yelled, shifting his focus to the leftover blue demon, who was trying to assist the other two. He quickly aimed his bow at one of its arms, specifically the one that it held its sword in. The impact was enough to make the monster drop its sword onto the ground. It quickly turned back, facing Toya. Somehow, even without a face, Toya could make out the angry expression it had. </p><p><br/>The demon brought its hands together, seemingly charging some kind of attack. It let out a loud, frustrated grunt, and pushed its hands out towards Toya, unleashing a powerful surge of wind. Toya raised one arm up to try and block the attack, but the force of it was still enough to push him back. He planted his feet firmly in the ground as the onslaught of wind tried relentlessly to blow him away. With his free hand, he took aim at the nearby wall before shooting his grappling hook at it, dragging him towards it and out of the way of the wind. </p><p>
  <b><br/><span class="u">“Don’t give it another chance to do that. Finish it now!”</span> </b>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">“Working on it!”</span> Toya quickly took his bow out again, aiming at the demon that was still turning around to face him once more. He fired an arrow at it, and then started rushing forward. The demon easily hit the arrow out of the air, without much effort at all. However, Toya didn’t shoot the arrow with the intention of it directly doing damage. Instead, he used it as a distraction to get in close. He quickly unmasked himself as he got close to the Shadow, summoning his Persona and using it to get a clean hit off. The attack was a success, but it wasn’t nearly enough to finish it off entirely. Still, it was enough momentum for Toya to get an advantage in the fight.</p><p><br/>While Toya was keeping himself busy on one side of the room, Makoto used the entire other side of the room to distract the other demons. Thanks to her Persona, she was able to easily out-maneuver the relatively slow Shadows that she was in charge of distracting. She was easily able to drive circles around them, without ever getting hit once. That is, until the demons began to wise up, and figured out a way to deal with her. The pink demon spun its blade around in its hands, before suddenly, it created a large, sharp chunk of ice on the ground. It was well aware that it couldn’t possibly reach Makoto with the attack, but it didn’t need to. While it was using its magic, the armored demon raised one fist into the air and slammed the ground, creating a visible shockwave that was headed straight for Makoto. She was able to easily see it coming, so she had an easy time dodging out of the way. </p><p><br/>“Watch out! It’s a trap!” Mishima yelled out, trying to warn Makoto of the danger that she was headed straight into. She didn’t realize it at first, but after a moment, she realized exactly what he had meant. After moving out of the way of the attack, she unknowingly began driving straight into the massive chunk of ice that was created by the pink demon. Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to drive out of the way, she had to get out the only other way that she could think, which was jumping off of the bike, letting it crash into the ice without her. “Just running around isn’t going to work forever against both of them. You need to take one down!” </p><p><br/>“That’s easier said than done… It’s not like I can beat them in just one hit.” She responded, regaining composure after landing on the ground. The two Shadows were starting to slowly approach her, and she could tell that her options were getting more limited.</p><p><br/>“Wait… I can see something...” Mishima whispered to himself, focusing on the Shadows, namely the pink one. It had a weakness… Somehow, with the use of his Persona, he could see its weakness. “Your Persona uses Nuclear attacks, right!? That pink one is weak to it! I’ll lower its defenses, so give it everything you have!” Makoto was unsure, but she decided to trust him, not having many other options available to her. She quickly resummoned her Persona, waiting for his signal. </p><p><br/>“Johanna!” As soon as she saw the blue aura appear around the demon signaling that its defenses had been lowered, she unleashed a blast of nuclear energy directly onto it. And, just as Mishima thought, it hurt a LOT more than Makoto thought was possible from just one attack—evident by the pain written on the Shadow’s face as it got hit. But it wasn’t finished--at least, not yet. However, this was the perfect opportunity for Mishima to take charge. Flying in with his gauntlets engulfed in a bright light, he pushed his hands out and let out a blast of almighty energy, directly aimed at the pink Shadow that Makoto had weakened. </p><p><br/>The blast was enough to send the Shadow flying all the way to the other side of the room, where Toya was dealing with the remaining faceless demon. The pink demon clashed directly against the back of the blue one, sending the blue demon to the ground and finishing off the pink one, causing it to disappear. </p><p><br/>“Jeez! Talk about an assist…” Toya said, looking over at the other side of the room and seeing Mishima hyping himself up after finishing one off, while Makoto was starting to fight against the armored Shadow. He could tell that it was significantly stronger than the other two, so Makoto probably wouldn’t be able to take it down on her own. Toya had to finish up the blue Shadow that he was already fighting as soon as he could, so he could help. Thankfully, it didn’t take too much more effort. The impact that the other Shadow made when it collided against it did a lot more damage than anything Toya had done on his own thus far. All he had to do was unmask one more time, and use his Persona to let out a blast of dark magic, ending the fight. “Okay! Now I just have to…” His words trailed off as he looked over to the other side of the room, and saw Makoto unable to do any kind of substantial damage against the remaining armored Shadow. It was even stronger than he thought it was. </p><p><b><br/><span class="u">“Nothing in your own arsenal can do much against that thing. But that shouldn’t be a problem for you, right?”</span></b> Toya didn’t know what Osiris meant at first, but then he looked at the ground, and saw that the blue demon’s sword was still on the ground. </p><p><br/><span class="u">“Worth a shot…!”</span> He ran over to the large double-sided blade on the ground, grabbing it from the middle and slowly lifting it up. <span class="u">“This thing is HEAVY! Is this really gonna work?”</span></p><p><span class="u"><b><br/>“Of course it will. Just… don’t miss.”</b></span> Toya started slowly moving forward, doing his best to not make a sound so he could get a pre-emptive strike.</p><p><br/><span class="u">“Miss <em> that </em> thing? No way!”</span> Slowly gaining speed, Toya began closing the distance between them. He pulled the sword back and got in as close as he could, before shoving it forward and straight into the Shadow’s back. </p><p><br/>“What the--!?” Makoto jumped back as the sword pierced through the Shadow’s chest, before it ultimately fell to the ground and disappeared. “Did--did you just…?”</p><p><br/>“That thing… is SO much heavier… than it looks…” Letting the sword fall to the ground with a loud thud, Toya took deep breaths and put his hands on his knees. </p><p><br/>“Hey, uhh… Did you two see where Kaneshiro went?” Mishima asked, looking around the room. </p><p><br/>“Didn’t he say something about wanting to keep us away from the elevator? If I had to guess, he probably went down there.” Makoto answered, walking towards the elevator and pressing the button to call it back up. “Come on. We should be close to the end now.”</p><p>
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</p><p>
  <b>June 24th, 20XX (Friday)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>After School - Kaneshiro’s Bank (Treasure Room)</b>
</p><p> </p><p>After getting through one more big room, the three of them had finally gotten to the end. Or at least… what they <em> thought </em> was the end. Going down the last elevator that they could find, and entering the last room on the map, they found themselves in a large room, with some kind of… orb of mist, floating in the air.</p><p><br/>“Okay, so uhhh… What <em> is </em> that?” Mishima asked with a curious tone, tilting his head and taking a closer look at it. </p><p><br/>“Well, this has to be the room with the Treasure, right? So that means… <em> that’s </em> the Treasure, right? Even though it’s all… foggy?” Toya walked closer and tried touching it, but his hand went right through it. “Well, that’s… Certainly not what I was expecting.”</p><p><b><br/><span class="u">“This is when the Phantom Thieves usually send their calling card, isn’t it?”</span></b> Osiris had a point. Toya relayed the message to Makoto and Mishima, in hopes that they’d be able to make better sense of it than he was. </p><p><br/>“A calling card… I see… making the target believe that the Treasure is in danger will cause it to materialize. That’s quite a bold trick.” Makoto said, having figured out what the next step was, or at least what they <em> thought </em> it was. Toya and Mishima stood there mostly dumbfounded, trying to wrap their heads around what Makoto had just said.</p><p><br/>“So we have to make Kaneshiro think we’re gonna take his Treasure by… telling him we’re gonna take it?” </p><p><br/>“At least, that’s what makes the most sense to me. In a world of cognition… the Palace ruler’s head probably determined a lot of things about the surroundings. It’d make sense if one of those things was the Treasure’s materialization.” Makoto tried explaining it to Mishima, who was still somewhat lost. Either way, the one thing that they knew was that there was nothing else for them to do here. Somewhat reluctantly, the three of them turned around, making their ways back to the real world. </p><p>
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</p><p>
  <b>June 24th, 20XX (Friday)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Evening - Kazero Household</b>
</p><p> </p><p>“Kai! Are you home?” Toya called out to his brother, walking into his home for the first time since he left for school, even though it was considerably late already. He had already said his goodbyes to Makoto and Mishima, who had to get to their own homes before their respective family members started to get worried. </p><p><br/>“Jeez, you took your sweet time getting home. Do you have any idea how late it is?” Kai said, his voice coming from the living room. Toya walked in to greet him and sat down on the couch next to him. “Why were you out for so long, anyway?”</p><p><br/>“I was in Kaneshiro’s Palace the entire time. We’re finally at the end!”</p><p><br/>“Wait, already!? I didn’t think a change of heart could happen that fast…”</p><p><br/>“Hold on. His heart didn’t get changed <em> just </em> yet. That’s why I wanted to talk. We might need your help with this last step.”</p><p><br/>“You need <em> my </em> help? I don’t think I’m gonna be much help in that world.”</p><p><br/>“No, but we don’t need you to do anything there. We need your help with stuff in the real world. Specifically, we need help with delivering the calling card. Turns out it’s not <em> just </em> for show… it’s a necessary step for changing someone’s heart.” </p><p><br/>“You’re telling me that <em> wasn’t </em>the Phantom Thieves just being cocky?”</p><p><br/>“As far as we can tell, no. It looks like we’ll need to make sure Kaneshiro knows that he’s in danger. And to do that… we’ll need the calling card.”</p><p><br/>“Alright. So, what, you need me to deliver it to him? I can get that done tonight.”</p><p><br/>“Well… I don’t think it’s gonna be that easy. I don’t think he’ll take it seriously if we just slide it under his door or something. We might need to go a little further.”</p><p><br/>“...’A little further’. And what exactly did you have in mind?”</p><p><br/>“Oh, y’know… Just uhh… planting cards all over the city.”</p><p><br/>“WHAT?”</p><p><br/>“L-Listen! There needs to be a huge threat! And there’s no way he’ll miss something like <em> that </em>, right?” </p><p><br/>“You want to graffiti an <em> entire city </em> to send a message? Is that really necessary!? Hell—is that even possible to do?” </p><p><br/>“If I do it late enough at night, nobody will see anything! There’ll be plenty of time!”</p><p><br/>“By yourself!?”</p><p><br/>“Yyyyeeeeaaaah… About thaaaaat... Remember when I said that I need your help? Weeeelllllllllll…”</p><p><br/>“...Oh my god. You cannot be serious.”</p><p><br/>“Please! Makoto and Mishima won’t be able to help that late at night! You’re the only hope we have at making this work!”</p><p><br/>“Do you have ANY idea how illegal this is!? If either of us get caught, then—”</p><p><br/>“If we don’t do it, then Kaneshiro wins! We can’t do this any other way!” </p><p><br/>“But…” There was a pause as Kai tried to figure out how to persuade his pleading brother that this was a horrible idea. He knew how bad of an idea it was, and yet… despite his best efforts, he couldn’t find the right way to say no. “...Fine. We’ll do this tomorrow night. This better work, you hear me!?”</p><p><br/>“Yes! Thank you! I’ll make sure it works, I promise!” Toya cheered in excitement. It was hard for Kai to remain annoyed after hearing his brother so excited, but he still wasn’t happy. </p><p><br/>“What the hell am I going to do with you…” He took a long, deep breath before standing up. “I’m gonna go for a walk. You’d be better off staying up late tonight. It’ll take a while for us to desecrate an entire city.” Saying that outloud gave Kai a chill down his spine. He couldn’t believe that he was actually going through with such a crazy plan. He walked out of the room and the house, leaving Toya to himself. </p><p><br/><span class="u">“Yes! Mission accomplished!”</span> Toya could barely contain his excitement. He quickly took out his phone, texting his partners in crime. </p><p> </p><p>TOYA: Kai agreed to help! Everything’s coming together!</p><p>MISHIMA: Seriously!? Sweet! When’s this gonna happen?”</p><p>TOYA: Tomorrow night. You think you can get the calling cards ready by then?</p><p>MISHIMA: Consider it done! We can start tomorrow after school! </p><p>MISHIMA: Making copies will be easy, so we just gotta make the first one!</p><p>MAKOTO: I’ve started writing it already. I’ll be done by the time school ends tomorrow.</p><p>MISHIMA: Sweet! That takes care of everything then!</p><p>TOYA: Actually, there’s one more thing I wanted to bring up. </p><p>TOYA: We’re not sending the calling card as the Phantom Thieves, are we?</p><p>MAKOTO: I… hadn’t thought about that yet. I suppose it doesn’t make a difference.</p><p>MISHIMA: Wouldn’t it be easier to pretend like we’re the Phantom Thieves, though? </p><p>TOYA: Yeah, but… I don’t wanna be compared to them, y’know? I wanna be something else. </p><p>TOYA: We’re a group too, right? We can be way more than the Phantom Thieves!</p><p>TOYA: So let’s do it. Let’s send this as an entirely different group!</p><p>MAKOTO: I admit, we could probably get things done a lot more efficiently than them once we’re more accustomed to the Metaverse…</p><p>MAKOTO: Not to mention, based on your opinion of them, I’m not sure I want to act under their guise either...</p><p>MAKOTO: Sure. Let’s do it.</p><p>MISHIMA: Aw yeah, now I’m getting excited!</p><p>MISHIMA: Hey, I just got an idea. Let’s come up with code names! </p><p>MAKOTO: Code names…?</p><p>MISHIMA: Yeah! Special names to call each other in the Metaverse! You know, in case we run into the Phantom Thieves, or something! </p><p>TOYA: Come to think of it, I think I remember them using code names too…</p><p>TOYA: Alright, why not? Code names it is! You two got any ideas for yours? </p><p>MAKOTO: Hmm… </p><p>MAKOTO: I’d like something that sounds a bit refined. How about… Queen? </p><p>TOYA: Queen… Yeah, that fits!</p><p>TOYA: How about you, Mishima? You got anything?</p><p>MISHIMA: It’s gotta be Knight! It fits perfectly with my Persona! </p><p>MISHIMA: And you can be King! That way we all match! It’s perfect!</p><p>TOYA: H-Hold on, I don’t think that fits! I’m not really the kingly type, y’know?</p><p>MISHIMA: Aww… But it fits so well…</p><p>MAKOTO: If not that, then what? Do you have a better idea?</p><p>TOYA: Hmm…</p><p> </p><p>Toya paused for just a second, before it came to him. He already <em> had </em>a code name, and has had one for months. He had never thought about it as anything more than a nickname until that very moment, but the more he thought about it… the more sense it made. He smiled, and began to type it to his teammates—his friends.</p><p> </p><p>TOYA: Jester.</p><p>TOYA: You guys can call me Jester!</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>There were a few people wondering if Toya would keep his old code name from the old fic (that being Hazard). This chapter finally cleared that up! But, at the same time, now the name of this fic feels kinda obsolete, since it was only named this *because* of his code name, so... bleh.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. The Royals</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today (April 23rd) is Makoto Niijima's birthday. Happy birthday to her! Pretty sure she'd be 23 today if she was an actual person... kinda weird to think that the main P5 cast is so close to my age. Also, I posted twice in a week. I don't think I've done that in like... almost a year lmfao. </p><p>"Also can I just say how stupid it is to send the calling card like that. Idk if its me but it is like that they are begging to be caught"<br/>Yeeeaaaah I agree lmao. I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't already a thing in the game, but y'know. Can't change everything.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>June 26th, 20XX (Sunday)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Early Morning - Shibuya</b>
</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, what… What is all this?”</p><p><br/>“Are these… cards? Wait… is it… the Phantom Thieves!?”<br/><br/></p><p>“T-They’re everywhere! Did this happen overnight!?”<br/><br/></p><p>“Wait, it’s not the Phantom Thieves at all! Look!” Throughout the city, countless civilians who woke up early expecting a normal day were in absolute shock. As far as the eye could see, the city was painted purple and black, with a seemingly endless amount of calling cards that all had the same phrase written on them in bold letters: “YOU HAVE FAILED THIS COUNTRY”. <br/><br/></p><p>It was like nothing they had ever seen before. Most people recognized the Phantom Thieves and their antics after what happened with Madarame not long ago, but this… This was entirely different. Nobody had ever seen anything on such a scale. Inevitably, some people started taking a few calling cards off of the walls that they were on, and reading them out loud. <br/><br/></p><p>“Sir Junya Kaneshiro, the money-devouring sinner of gluttony… You indulge in scamming others with horrendous methods that target minors exclusively. We cannot sit idly by and allow you to continue this egregious behavior any longer. Within 24 hours, you will confess to all of your crimes on your own, and then turn yourself in to the police of your own accord. From, The Royals.” <br/><br/></p><p>“The Royals? Who’re they?”</p><p><br/>“This is just like the Phantom Thieves… Can they really do the same thing…!?”</p><p><br/>“No way! There’s no way anyone else can do something like this! This has to be like, a rebrand or something!” Everyone was getting riled up. Nobody was quite sure what to make of what was happening. All they knew for sure was that something big was going down. </p><p><br/>Meanwhile, in an alley not very far away, ‘The Royals’ waited around patiently, taking peeks out at the rest of the city. “Looks like things are turning out great! Everyone’s talking about it!” Mishima cheered, pulling his head back into the alley and looking over at Toya and Makoto. Makoto was visually nervous regarding this whole situation, while Toya was drinking an absurd amount of coffee, much more than he really should be.</p><p><br/>“I can’t believe how many calling cards there are… How did you plant <em> this </em> many? This must’ve taken all night…” Makoto asked, completely baffled at how this happened overnight.</p><p><br/>“Me and my brother tried to see who could post more, but we both lost count at some point.” He responded, taking a big sip of his coffee. </p><p>
  <b><br/><span class="u">“That’s a lie. You just don’t want to tell them that he placed more than you.”</span> </b>
</p><p>
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  <span class="u">“Shut it!” </span>
</p><p><br/>“Still, the fact that you got all of this done in a night is shocking… How much did you sleep? I can’t imagine you got much…” There was an audible amount of concern in her voice, which only intensified as she watched Toya practically chug from the cup he was holding. </p><p><br/>“Sleep? Uh, yeah… I kinda… didn’t…” </p><p><br/>“You what!? D-Do you know how dangerous this is!? We’re about to take Kaneshiro’s Treasure, and you’re running on no sleep at all!?”</p><p><br/>“I’ll be fine! Besides, I think I have enough caffeine in my body to last a week… So there’s nothing to be afraid of!”</p><p>
  <b><br/><span class="u">“We both know that you’ll fall asleep within seconds of getting home once this is all over.”</span> </b>
</p><p><br/><span class="u">“I don’t need your sass, damn it!”</span> Trying to ignore the jabs Osiris was taking at him, Toya heard his phone ringing. He took it out of his pocket and answered it, having expected the call.</p><p><br/>“I just saw Kaneshiro. He just got into his car, and he seemed like he was in a hurry. Not to mention, he’s carrying briefcases that all seem pretty packed. Probably with cash…” He heard his brother speak over the phone. He was being pretty quiet, trying not to gather anyone’s attention.</p><p><br/>“You think he got the message?”</p><p><br/>“I covered his car in calling cards. He definitely knows what’s coming.”</p><p><br/>“Jeez! Talk about overkill…” He took a deep breath. “Alright. We’re gonna head in now. See you when we’re done.” He hung up his phone and looked towards his friends. They heard everything. They all silently nodded at each other, taking out their phones and opening the Metaverse Navigator. It was time for one final trip to Kaneshiro’s Palace, with only one goal in mind: changing his heart.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>June 26th, 20XX (Sunday)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Daytime - Leblanc</b>
</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, you’re up already? I’d have thought you would sleep in for longer than this.” Sojiro turned his gaze over to Ren, who had just come down from his room. Seeing as it was his off day, Sojiro fully expected Ren to sleep in for another few hours. “Well, you have good timing. I need to step out for a while to take care of something at home. Can you watch the shop for me?”</p><p><br/>“Oh, sure. Wait, what do you need to do?” </p><p><br/>“That’s not your concern. Look, just stay here for a while, alright? You can go wherever you want when I’m back.” </p><p><br/>“Okay, okay.” Having heard the frustration begin to build in Sojiro’s voice, Ren decided he ought to not push him any further. Having already learned a thing or two about making coffee and curry from Sojiro already, Ren had no problem covering his shift for him. </p><p><br/>“And now for breaking news!” The two of them instinctively looked over at the TV. “Early this morning, civilians of Shibuya were shocked to see the entire city showered in calling cards signed by an unknown group calling themselves ‘The Royals’.” Ren froze in place, as the words that came from the newscaster’s mouth played in his head on repeat. “Many people are comparing this to the actions of the Phantom Thieves that have been taking place over the past 2 months. However, we’ve yet to see if this group is capable of causing the same ‘change of heart’ phenomenon we’ve seen in the Phantom Thieves cases.”</p><p><br/><span class="u">“No way…</span>” He reached into his pocket to get his phone, but he couldn’t find it. It had to still be upstairs, along with Morgana. He wanted to run and grab it, but just as he tried, he heard the bell on top of the door jingle, as two people walked in. They were regulars at the shop, and Sojiro hadn’t left yet. He knew that if he tried leaving to get his phone, Sojiro would chew him out for it. Not to mention, the regulars would more than likely bring it up to him. Ren didn’t want to know how Sojiro would react if he was under the impression that Ren was slacking off. <span class="u">“I can’t contact anyone… At a time like this!? Just my luck…”</span></p><p><br/>“The calling card was directed to someone by the name of Junya Kaneshiro. And within it, these ‘Royals’ state that Kaneshiro will confess to all of his crimes and turn himself in to the police. This is, again, another similarity between this group and the Phantom Thieves. However, are these groups truly different, or are they perhaps one in the same? The police have not yet commented on this matter.” It was such a weird feeling. Ren felt so… powerless. It felt like everything he had been building up over the past few months was being taken away right in front of him. He had to figure out a way to do <em> something </em> , but what? What <em> could </em> be done about this? He couldn’t get his mind off of it. All he really could do for now was think, and hope that by the time he got out of Leblanc, that it wasn’t too late. </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>June 26th, 20XX (Sunday)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Daytime - Kaneshiro’s Bank (Treasure Room)</b>
</p><p> </p><p>After having gone through the Palace already, the group of three had no problem sneaking their way through once more. They did their best not to get into any fights at all, trying to conserve all of their strength. This went double for Toya, who was running purely on caffeine and determination. The three of them eventually got to the final elevator, stepping inside and making their way to the very bottom floor, where the Treasure should be.<br/><br/></p><p>
  <b> <span class="u">“I’ll be honest with you, Jester. There’s something that’s been bothering me this entire time. I haven’t really found a good time to say it, but...”</span><br/><br/></b>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">“Huh? What’s wrong?”</span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b> <span class="u">“We’ve sent a calling card for everyone to see. It included the name of the person that we’re going after.”</span><br/><br/></b>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">“Yeah…? That was kind of the point.”</span>
  <br/>
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</p><p>
  <b> <span class="u">“Right. But, by doing this… Doesn’t that mean the Phantom Thieves know who we’re going after?”</span><br/><br/></b>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">“Uh, well… yeah, I guess they do.”</span>
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</p><p>
  <b> <span class="u">“Then isn’t it likely that they find their way in here? They have the same app that you do.”</span><br/><br/></b>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">“It’s true that it’s a bit of a concern, but… I don’t think it’s possible. I mean, they don’t have his keywords, right? Sure, they have his name… But it’s not like they know that it’s a bank or anything, right?”</span>
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</p><p><span class="u"><b>“I suppose so… Still, there’s always a possibility. Be on your guard. If they do find their way here… then we’ll be in a much, </b> <b> <em>much</em> </b> <b> tougher spot.”</b></span> After Osiris’s worries were eased, the elevator stopped. The doors opened, they walked out… and immediately, they knew something was wrong. In place of the ball of mist that they assumed was the Treasure last time they were there, they saw a massive safe. And, waiting in front of it was none other than Kaneshiro himself. He slowly walked forward, a nonchalant look on his face. <br/><br/></p><p><b>“Greetings. Welcome to my private city bank.” </b> As he spoke, a few guards moved in, standing by his side. <b>“I’m surprised you made it here alive. It seems you are quite lucky.”<br/><br/></b></p><p>“Pfft, yeah, and you’re lucky you found a suit in your size…” Toya rolled his eyes and said the first thing that came to mind, not really thinking too hard about it. <br/><br/></p><p>“This is the end! We’re gonna make you fess up to everything you’ve been doing!” Mishima yelled, standing behind Toya and Makoto while already inside of his Persona. “Then nobody will have to worry about getting their lives ruined so your pockets get filled!” <br/><br/></p><p>
  <b>“Those in power work the ones below them to the bone for money. Such is the hierarchy of the world. Just accept your fate as a source of my wealth!”<br/><br/></b>
</p><p>“Hierarchy? Source of your wealth? Don’t be ridiculous!” Makoto was beginning to get angry, hearing Kaneshiro talk like he was so far above them. “People are worth more than the number in your bank account! I refuse to live a life where we’re forced into misery so you can get whatever you want!” <br/><br/></p><p><b>“All of that was forced on me too, you know! I went through shit until I crawled my way out of the dregs! Now it’s my turn to profit on everyone else!”</b> The facade of nonchalance was slowly fading away, his true colors beginning to show themselves. <b>“It doesn’t matter whether you’re clean or dirty! Only the clever come out on top! The strong and the smart devour the weak! That is the natural order of things. You damn brats who think you know the world through the shit you read online will make perfect prey.”<br/><br/></b></p><p>“Hmph. He is utterly hopeless.” Makoto sounded more disappointed than anything else at this point, taking a deep sigh after hearing his speech.<br/><br/></p><p><b>“It’s always the fools who get tricked! Fools who have to pay for their foolishness. And if those fools don’t learn, well they have to suck it up and stay as plain, stupid fools!”</b> He took a deep breath. <b>”This is where my gracious lecture ends.”<br/><br/></b></p><p>“No, this is where your schemes end! We won’t let you have your way any longer! Everyone that you’re just using for money, everyone that you’re just treating like slaves to sate your greed… We’re going to free every single one of them by taking you down!” Toya yelled, pulling out his bow. He had heard more than enough of what Kaneshiro had to say for himself. At this point, he wanted to get things over with. He knew it’d come down to a fight this entire time, and he was more than prepared to give Kaneshiro the beating that he deserved. <br/><br/></p><p>Something about Toya’s words affected Kaneshiro. His arms suddenly fell limp at his sides, and his body began to violently twitch and contort. Black ooze dripped out of his mouth, and he began to rub his hands together, getting faster and faster with every second. Moments later, his entire body started turning dark, like the black and red liquid that Shadows would turn into as they were defeated--but Kaneshiro was still standing. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, two wings popped out of his back. The guards that were once covering him began to run away in fear as his body returned to the color it was previously. He raised his head to show that his eyes had completely changed all of a sudden. They were red, like an insect’s. He pounded his chest with one fist, still managing to keep the same condescending atmosphere that he had, even with the ridiculous insect-eyes he now had. <br/><br/></p><p><b>“I can take care of this myself. Wassup yo!? Now come get some!”</b> Somehow, he managed to sound even <em> more </em> ridiculous than he did before the transformation. Osiris specifically thought that was impossible.<br/><br/></p><p>“You filthy fly on dirty money… Get the hell out of my face!” At some point during the transformation, Makoto had gotten annoyed enough to summon her Persona and mount on top of it, as she was now revving it up while yelling at Kaneshiro.<br/><br/></p><p>
  <b>“Gyahahaha! Aight, here we go, yeh pieces of shit!”</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>June 26th, 20XX (Sunday)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Daytime - Kaneshiro’s Bank (Security Room)</b>
</p><p> </p><p><b><em>“Cry all you want, but I ain’t gonna forgive ya!”</em></b> Kaneshiro’s voice was more than audible enough to be heard on the security footage. The security room… one that was once highly guarded by some of Kaneshiro’s strongest and most loyal Shadows. Those Shadows, however, were disposed while Kaneshiro was guarding his Treasure, and it wasn’t by any of the Royals. It was by someone else--someone who was keeping a close eye on the situation. He paid close attention to the people who were confronting Kaneshiro specifically. <br/><br/></p><p><span class="u">“So, there really <em> is </em> another vigilante group. The Royals…”</span> He thought to himself, trying to get a profile of the three of them in his head. Some of them looked familiar. <em> Especially </em> one individual in particular, one wearing a black mask similar to his own. <span class="u">“...I know this person. Who…? I know it’s someone I’ve seen before. Perhaps someone I’ve spoken to, even?”</span> Try as he might, he couldn’t place his finger on it. Yet, it <em> was </em> someone he knew. He was sure of that much. As for who it was specifically… He couldn’t place a name on them. All he could do was observe, and then, <em> maybe </em> then… He could eventually figure out who this person was. He seemed to be the leader of the group, from what he could tell. He fought with a bow and arrow, and he would take these… pauses. There would be time periods where he would stop in place and be seemingly lost in thought, only he'd have constant facial reactions. It was... strange, to say the very least. While standing inside of a world made purely of cognition and watching people fight with demons that represent their inner selves… Something like that could be chalked up to being just a nervous habit, but he had a feeling it was something else. Still, there wasn’t much else to deduce. If he could see more of this person’s face, then maybe he would be able to place a name, but the purple bandana covering the area from the nose down made it rather difficult to do.<span class="u"> “I’ve no choice but to continue watching… Perhaps he’ll slip up and I’ll get a more clear look at his face later.” </span></p><p> </p><p>
  <b>June 26th, 20XX (Sunday)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Daytime - Kaneshiro’s Bank (Treasure Room)</b>
</p><p> </p><p><b>“Time to roll out…!” </b> Kaneshiro began laughing to himself, extending his arms out to his sides. <b>“Here he is… My guardian robot!” </b> He turned around and raised one hand into the air, waving it around before the safe suddenly opened up. With the wings that grew out of his back, Kaneshiro flew directly inside of it. The safe door closed behind him, before all of a sudden, the back walls of the room that once made up the safe began moving. They shot towards the sides of the room, revealing… a giant, metallic pig on the other side, with a safe door where its nose was meant to be. <b>“Gyahahahahaha! Ya ready to die!?”</b></p><p><br/>“Holy bacon--IT’S A PIG!” Mishima blurted out in shock, flying back towards the other side of the room.</p><p>
  <b><br/>“It ain’t a pig, yo! This is my Palace’s swine-model defensive mechanoid, Piggytron! Goin’ against me’s a real bad crime, ya know! It’s time for y’all to go to hell!” </b>
</p><p><br/>“How the hell does he come up with stuff like this!?” Toya jumped back along with Makoto, landing where Mishima flew back to.</p><p><br/>“Knight, what’s it look like? Can you see any weaknesses?” Makoto asked, trying to situate herself and figure out any form of a strategy. </p><p><br/>“No, nothing… But this thing is <em> really </em> strong! Anything you guys have fought up to this point is nothing in comparison to this thing!” Mishima was getting worked up trying to find <em> some </em> kind of weakness that they could exploit. “I’ll do my best to keep this thing weakened, but you guys <em> need </em> to be careful! I won’t be able to protect you guys from everything!” Mishima did his best to warn the two of them about the danger that they were in. Still, it’s not like they could just do <em> nothing </em>. They had to find a way that they could get through and do some damage to this thing. </p><p><b><br/>“Time to die, yeh punks!”</b> Kaneshiro yelled, accompanied by a maniacal laughter. </p><p><br/>“He’s doing something…! Get ready to move!” Mishima warned Toya and Makoto, beginning to fly away. As he did, something about Piggytron’s eyes began shifting. And then, all of a sudden, the robot’s eyes slid back into the robot, and from its metallic eye sockets came machine guns, aimed directly at the pair. </p><p><br/>“Oh son of a--RUN!” <br/><br/></p><p>“Jester! Get on, quick!” Makoto yelled, summoning her Persona and mounting on top of it. His body moved on his own, despite the fact that there was a noteworthy amount of hesitation in his mind. <br/><br/></p><p>
  <b>“You’re getting distracted by something.”<br/><br/></b>
</p><p>“NOT THE TIME!” Toya did his best to dismiss the remarks Osiris was making as Makoto began driving around, doing her best to avoid the machine gun fire. Thankfully, she was able to drive fast enough to dodge anything that Kaneshiro fired at her. <br/><br/></p><p><b>“Gyahaha! We’re just gettin’ started!”</b> Kaneshiro yelled out from inside Piggytron. Then, instead of firing from its machine guns, the group of three could see something coming out from the top of the robot. It took them a second to realize exactly what they were: missiles. <br/><br/></p><p>“This crazy sonuva… What can this thing NOT do!?” Toya yelled out while Makoto sped up, trying to get away from the area of explosions that the missiles would create. However, there was one glaring issue with that; that being the fact that they were heat-seeking. Try as she might, she couldn’t just drive away from them. <br/><br/></p><p>“I can’t do this on my own! You need to find a way to deal with those things, otherwise we’ll never have a fighting chance!”<br/><br/></p><p>“But they’re…! Ergh, fine, I’ll try!” Toya materialized his bow in his hands, taking aim at one of the missiles and firing. However… simply using arrows proved entirely ineffective against literal missiles. He needed more firepower, <em> much </em> more firepower. For that, the only thing he had on him was his Persona. He quickly unmasked himself, the blue flame engulfing his face as his Persona, Yama, emerged from within him. Without the chance to really prepare for a more powerful attack, he fired off whatever blast he could. Thankfully, that was all he needed. Dark magic collided against the missiles, and it resulted in the missiles completely exploding on impact--or at least, some of them. There were more in the air, but seeing the explosion gave him a crazy idea, one that was worth trying. He used his Persona to get in close to a stray missile and grabbed on to it. To his surprise, it didn’t explode as soon as he touched it--he didn’t care if that made sense or not. The only thing that mattered to him was if the rest of his plan would work. With that in mind, he used Yama to throw the missile directly at Piggytron. <br/><br/></p><p><b>“What the hell--ARGH!”</b> Kaneshiro yelled as the missile struck, doing more damage than Toya could have hoped for. He and Makoto jumped off of Johanna, moving in closer to get a scope of the situation. As they did, Kaneshiro flew out the same way he entered. He flew to the top of the robotic pig, angrily glaring down at them. <b>“Yeh punks’re really pissin’ me off! Yeh called my Piggytron a pig earlier, right? Were yeh talkin’ about me too when you said that? If you were… Imma tear yeh all to shreds!” </b> He extended his arms out to his sides and held his hands up in the air. <b>“Go, Piggytron! Super VIP Fooorm!” </b>He floated above Piggytron for a second, before Piggytron suddenly began to morph. All of its limbs receded back into its body, until all that was left was a massive ball of steel. Kaneshiro planted his feet down firmly onto it, before crossing his arms and beginning to roll it in place, slowly gaining speed over time. <br/><br/></p><p>“Is he… Trying to run us over!?”<br/><br/></p><p>“Regardless of what he’s trying, we can’t just stand around here and let him do it!” As soon as Makoto was about to finish her sentence, Piggytron began charging toward them. It was moving too quickly for them, they barely had any time to react.<br/><br/></p><p>“Not so fast!” Mishima called out, descending from the sky with his Persona and extending his arms out. He had to put a lot of energy into debuffing such a massive robot, but ultimately, he was able to slow down Piggytron’s assault, buying Toya and Makoto enough time for them to dodge out of the way. <br/><br/></p><p>“He’s open! Let’s get moving!” Makoto yelled out, summoning her Persona once more and getting on top of it with Toya right behind her, moving straight toward Piggytron. <br/><br/></p><p><b>“Damn punks…!” </b>Kaneshiro was getting flustered, but he had an idea. They were able to dodge most of his attacks, but there was one thing left that he could do that would surely catch them off guard. He quickly got back inside of Piggytron, as its legs came back out of its body, but only for a mere moment. While Makoto was still charging in as fast as she could, Kaneshiro had Piggytron jump into the air, receding its legs back into its body as soon as they left the ground. It then slammed down onto the ground, creating a massive shockwave, one that was far too big for Makoto to get out of the way of. With a shocked expression on both her and Toya’s faces, they were sent spiraling out of control, until crashing into a nearby wall. Makoto’s Persona disappeared as it made contact with the wall, and the two of them fell to the ground. <br/><br/></p><p>“GUYS! Hang on!” Mishima started soaring towards his endangered friends, as Kaneshiro made his best attempt at finishing the fight right then and there. Machine guns came out from Piggytron’s eye sockets once again. He opened fire right away, and began aiming as he was already shooting, bullets hitting the ground the entire time. But before Toya and Makoto could get hit, Mishima landed right in front of them. <br/><br/></p><p>“Knight…!? What are you--” Makoto said, trying to get back up on her feet. Mishima crossed his arms in front of him, gritting his teeth as the gunfire started closing in.<br/><br/></p><p>“You two saved me from that part of me that I didn’t want to exist anymore… now it’s my turn to return the favor!” Inevitably, Piggytron finished aiming, and began to unload directly onto Mishima. His armor was powerful, but now powerful enough to absorb <em> all </em> of the damage. He was still getting hurt, but he was able to tank the hits better than the other two ever could.<br/><br/></p><p><span class="u">“You’ve grown…”</span> Toya couldn’t help but think back to the last time they were all in Mementos together. The old Mishima, before ever confronting his Shadow… He never would’ve had the courage to do this. He would always stand behind the front line, but he would never be the forerunner. He smiled, pressing his hands against the ground and beginning to push himself up. <br/><br/></p><p><b>“You damn punk… Fine! Then try defending them from THIS!” </b> In a rage, Kaneshiro began firing missiles once again. Mishima began to falter, knowing he couldn’t protect them from <em> that </em>. Kaneshiro started to laugh, thinking that his victory was a guarantee at this point. <br/><br/></p><p>“YAMA!” Toya yelled out, still kneeling down while trying to pick himself up. He fired off a concentrated blast of dark magic, one that was big enough to destroy multiple missiles. It caused a chain reaction, destroying the rest of the missiles in the air. The resulting explosion created a massive cloud of smoke, blinding the opposing forces from each other. “Jeez…” He started coughing, before finally standing up straight once again. “Way to steal the show, Knight. You saved our butts there.” <br/><br/></p><p>“Hold still, you two…” Makoto said, putting one hand on both of them with her Persona summoned. Using her restorative magic, she successfully healed all of them back to full strength. They could breathe sigh of relief. The three of them were pretty worried for a while, but they had some time to focus again, and come up with some kind of strategy. <br/><br/></p><p>“Phew… Thanks, Queen. Now then… Let’s put an end to this, once and for all!” Toya said, making a fist and punching his other palm, a cocky grin on his face.<br/><br/></p><p>“Jester, what can we possibly do? We don’t have a reliable way of dealing with that robot, not without Kaneshiro hitting us back harder!” Makoto sounded distressed, but beyond her voice, Toya could hear something. It was the sound of something opening, and then closing--something heavy. That could only be one thing… the safe door that Kaneshiro uses to get in and out of Piggytron! <br/><br/></p><p>“Listen up! I know exactly how we can win this fight. But we’re all gonna have to stick to the plan and work together, got it?” They nodded in response to him. Despite being the unofficial leader of the group this entire time, this was the first time he truly acted like one. They trusted him on this, one hundred percent. <br/><br/></p><p><b>“Are those punks really dead…?”</b> Kaneshiro said to himself, standing atop Piggytron. <b>“Tch… Let’s find out!”</b> He transformed Piggytron into its Super VIP Form. There was one easy way to make sure that they were gone… by completely trampling them. With a smug look on his face, he began to roll Piggytron around again. However, that smug look on his face soon disappears when he hears the sound of a motorcycle revving up. Out from the massive cloud of smoke came Makoto, on top of her Persona with a stern look on her face. <b>“Hah! Yeh really think you can take my Piggytron alone!? I’ll flatten you like a pa--AGH!”</b> His speech was suddenly cut off by a sharp pain in one of his wings. He looked over to it, and saw an arrow sticking out of it. <b>“Where the hell did-- GRRGH…!”</b> Once again, he felt something stab him, this time through the other wing. He looked up above him to see where it came from… only to see Toya, being held up in the air by Mishima. And the thing that stabbed him… was Toya’s grappling hook, which was now lodged into his wing. <br/><br/></p><p>“Now!” Toya yelled, prompting Mishima to let go of him. As soon as he did, Toya started pulling himself towards Kaneshiro. He froze up in a panic, before Toya got in close, a determined look on his face, eyes blazing with ferocity. “Eat THIS!” He roared, before slamming into Kaneshiro with all of his strength, pushing him off of Piggytron entirely. <br/><br/></p><p><b>“Damn… punks…!!!” </b>He yelled, falling down to the ground and smacking against it. He slowly picked himself back up, before hearing the sound of someone walking towards him. He looked to his side to see Makoto, slowly stepping closer while cracking her knuckles. Kaneshiro tried to find something to say, but after seeing the violent look of anger in Makoto’s eyes, he was completely overwhelmed by fear. <br/><br/></p><p>From the place he was standing on top of Piggytron, all Toya could hear was the sound of someone getting completely beaten down, one painful strike at a time. <b>“She’s really letting him have it, isn’t she?”<br/><br/></b></p><p><span class="u">“She’s lucky. Getting a chance to really lay into him like that sounds really satisfying.”</span> He looked over at Mishima, who was hovering in front of him, his gauntlets engulfed in a bright light.<span class="u"> “Though, this is a pretty good alternative.”</span> He smirked and nodded at Mishima, before jumping off of the robot on the opposite side. As he was falling down, he tore his mask off, the blue flame engulfing almost his entire body.<br/><br/></p><p>“Yama!”<br/><br/></p><p>“Galahad!” The two of them yelled in sync, their Personas charging up their most powerful attack. They had to put all of their force into this one hit… To end things once and for all.<br/><br/></p><p><b> <em>“FIRE!”</em> </b> They yelled as loud as they could while unleashing their attacks, perfectly in sync with each other. One blast was pure white, the other pitch black. They hit the robot at the exact same time, only on opposite sides. The combined force of the blasts proved far too much for the robot to handle. It caused two massive explosions on both sides of it, which began to spread to the rest of the robot’s body, and before they knew it… it was done. The robot was completely destroyed. They won. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>"Whoa... Up close and personal...!" -Kanji Tatsumi, Persona 4</p><p>Originally, I was gonna include a lot more in this chapter. However, I realized that I was already 5000 words deep as I was finishing up the Kaneshiro fight, and if I fit in everything that I originally wanted to fit in... this chapter probably would've been 10k words lmao. At that point, I think it's better to just split it up and post it as two separate chapters. That next chapter will be up... hopefully soon lmao. </p><p>Anyway, thanks for reading. I hope you like the name "The Royals" for the group. Thought it was a pretty good fit, considering the name of the game + their codenames.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Bittersweet</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>"While Royal is a perfectly good name for a game it sounds kinda pompous here, like they are lookin down on the Phantom Thiefs"</p><p>I suppose it might sound a little pompous, yeah. Still, I think it's fitting enough to warrant that.</p><p>"But in all seriousness did you change your plan to have Toya act alongside the PT? I remember you mentioning something of the sort at the end of the previous one so I'm rather curious?"</p><p>To be honest: I don't know lmao. If it happens, it'll be a lot later. The thing about Toya working alongside the PTs is that it would take away a lot from his character arc. On top of that, it would turn into just retelling the P5 story with a new character in. It'd be pretty hard to make things interesting that way. Sure, I could come up with some funny dialogue from time to time, but I already plan on having him interact with the members of the PTs more often in the coming chapters (more on that later)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>June 26th, 20XX (Sunday)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Daytime - Kaneshiro’s Bank (Security Room)</b>
</p><p> </p><p><span class="u">“So they won…”</span> The mysterious figure in a black mask watched as the giant robot was destroyed. He thought it was an interesting show, seeing people who were individually outclassed by a powerful foe end up triumphant due to proper teamwork and strategy. He snickered at the thought of it, teamwork and friendship being that beneficial in a world like this. <span class="u">“Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.”</span> He turned away from the security footage, preparing himself to leave the Metaverse. <span class="u">“The Phantom Thieves, and The Royals… They’re more similar than I gave them credit for. Still, should they get in my way…”</span> A red flame burned his mask away. He looked up in front of him, and saw his Persona looming above him. The zebra-striped figure sitting atop a red sword, Loki. <span class="u">“I won’t hold back against them.”</span> He chuckled, before slowly leaving the room. He had seen everything he needed to. Even with their strength combined, those three… They wouldn’t stand a chance against him, no matter how well they worked together. In his eyes, he had absolute power… Power that couldn’t be overcome by something as weak as companionship. So long as he had that… Nobody could get in the way of his ultimate goal--of his revenge.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>June 26th, 20XX (Sunday)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Daytime - Kaneshiro’s Bank (Treasure Room)</b>
</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile, back in the Treasure Room, the Royals had just taken their first big victory. The three of them were completely ecstatic, actually coming out on top of that fight. It took a lot of work, and there were definitely some close calls, but that didn’t matter in the end. They <em> won. </em> That was the important part, nothing else ultimately mattered compared to that fact. <br/><br/></p><p>“Alright, alright. Shouldn’t we grab the Treasure and get out of here now?” Makoto said, trying to get back on track. <br/><br/></p><p>“Yeah. I think I saw it fall out of the pig, all we gotta do is grab--” Toya’s speech was cut off as he saw something. In the corner of his eye, he saw a badly bruised Kaneshiro slowly crawling over to the gold bar on the ground, as if his life depended on it. His suit was torn in multiple spots, his hair was completely out of sorts, and his face was… well, it had seen better days. Toya quickly walked over to the gold bar, pulling it away and watching Kaneshiro desperately reach out for it.<br/><br/></p><p><b>“No… Don’t take that!” </b> He helplessly pleaded, trying to find the strength to take it back. <b>“That’s all I have left… There’s nothing else to my name than that…!”<br/><br/></b></p><p>“Are you joking? Are you actually kidding me!?” Toya yelled, pulling the gold bar away further away from him. “<em> Your </em>name? This never belonged to you to begin with! Every bit of cash here… You just took it from people! Countless different people whose lives have been completely ruined!”<br/><br/></p><p>
  <b>“You’re right… I’m a poor, ugly… idiot… How am I supposed to live a normal life like this? It’s all because of our society! Weak people can’t lead a happy life, no matter what they do! I’m a victim too, you know!? Yeah, none of this is my fault!” <br/><br/></b>
</p><p>“What a sorry excuse for a man… All you’ve done is continue a horrible cycle of society, and reap the benefits of it. You’re entirely to blame for it!” Makoto looked like she was ready to start beating down on him again. There was a part of Toya that was getting worried that he’d have to stop her from going too far. She had already done a number to him, after all.<br/><br/></p><p>
  <b>“I just wanted a place where I could belong! You get that, don’t you!?”<br/><br/></b>
</p><p>“A place where you belong… Yeah, I get it.” Mishima solemnly responded, thinking back to the way his life was months before this. “Being picked on for not fitting in… Wanting nothing but to find a place where you belong… I get that more than you could possibly know. But, even when you’re living a life like that… It doesn’t make you justified in putting people through the same hell you went through!” His voice started breaking up for a minute there. Deep down, he understood; a lot more than he wanted to admit. He had already almost resorted to blackmailing his own friends into getting whatever he wants. <br/><br/></p><p><b>“Where do you find meaning in that naive sense of justice?”</b> Kaneshiro started picking himself up, facing the trio head on. Something about what Mishima said reached him in a way that nothing else had in a long, long time. <b>“With that incredible power… These Palaces could net you whatever you wanted! But instead, you’re wasting your time on a schmuck like me. You know, there’s already someone out there taking full advantage of what Palaces have to offer...”</b> Amidst all of his blabbering, at the end there… Kaneshiro said something--something that completely blindsided the group. <br/><br/></p><p>“What!?” Makoto was the first to speak up. Kaneshiro couldn’t help but go back to his condescending demeanor upon hearing that.<br/><br/></p><p>
  <b>“I’ll let you in on a little something… There’s a criminal using other people’s Palaces to accomplish whatever they damn well please. They don’t care about the consequences. Psychotic breakdowns, mental shutdowns… Anything goes.”<br/><br/></b>
</p><p>“Someone else…? Then, does that mean…!?” Toya held on to his head. “That person that Madarame was talking about… Could he have meant…?”<br/><br/></p><p>“H-Hey, speak up! What other person are you talking about!?” Mishima was starting to panic--the thought of a <em> criminal </em> having access to this world scared him just as much as the rest of the group, only he showed it easier. <br/><br/></p><p><b>“Don’t even bother. You are nothing compared to them… Better be careful… A chance encounter with them could prove fatal…” </b>He couldn’t help but laugh, before finally, he disappeared into a bright light. And, just as he did… the Palace began shaking. <br/><br/></p><p>“Uhh… Jester, you didn’t mention this part…!” Makoto was struggling to even stand straight, let alone speak. It was like the entire world was shaking… perhaps because it <em> was.<br/><br/></em></p><p>“Yeah, uh… I totally knew about this! One hundred percent! Uh… Okay, uh…” Toya looked towards the nearby wall. “Q-Queen, break the wall down with your Persona! Knight, get ready to fly us outta here!” He ordered them, while slowly heaving the gold bar up. He’d help break the wall down, but doing that while carrying <em> solid gold </em> was easier said than done. Thankfully, since the entire world was collapsing, the wall went down without much effort. Mishima got a hold of Toya and Makoto, before rising into the air. But holding two people <em> and </em> a gold bar was a lot of weight… He couldn’t fly that well.<br/><br/></p><p>“Hold on tight, this might get rough…!” He said, flying out of the hole in the wall and doing his best to stay in the air.</p><p>
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  <b>June 26th, 20XX (Sunday)</b>
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  <b>Afternoon - Kazero Household</b>
</p><p> </p><p>After a long and tiring day, filled with much more trouble than the three of them expected, despite how prepared they thought they were… the group could breathe. They sent the calling card unnoticed, they defeated Kaneshiro, and above all, they secured his Treasure. They even made it all the way back to a place where they could keep the Treasure without worrying about anyone seeing it.<br/><br/></p><p>“You all took your sweet time! I was starting to get worried…” Kai yelled from the other room, quickly walking over to greet his brother and his friends. “So, how’d it go? You guys win?”<br/><br/></p><p>“Pfft, ‘did we win’. Of course we won!” Toya held the Treasure up high. It was a briefcase made entirely out of gold, shining brightly above him. A part of Kai couldn’t believe it. Despite having faith in the three of them, there was always this part of him that was concerned about this entire plan flopping. And yet… here it was in front of him, the proof that they won. The proof that the three of them were strong enough as a team. And, above all… to him, it was the green light, telling him to stop waiting around and to get moving. The next phase of his plan was finally about to get into motion. <br/><br/></p><p>Kai ended up letting everyone in, allowing the group to relax and just… talk to each other. Despite all of them knowing each other for a while now, they didn’t get many chances to sit down and talk. This was especially true in Makoto’s case, having not interacted with either Toya or Mishima much before she was aware of the Metaverse’s existence. She wasn’t exactly accustomed to having a group of friends that she could try to relax around, so it was a pretty difficult thing to get accustomed to. She definitely didn’t mind the feeling though. Being surrounded by people who didn’t expect her to be some perfect student was the change of pace she never knew she needed.<br/><br/></p><p>“I’m glad you kids are getting along. But there’s something we need to talk about.” Kai said, re-entering the room. The trio all looked towards him, the tone of the room completely changing from carefree to serious in a heartbeat. “Kaneshiro was an awful person. However, compared to some of the other people in the country… He’s small time. What he’s done pales in comparison to the things that I’ve been looking into.”<br/><br/></p><p>“Things you’ve been looking into… Do you mean some sort of private investigation being done by the police?” Makoto asked. She didn’t recall her sister mentioning anything that sounded nearly as intense as this, but considering it sounded pretty secret… It made sense why she would never have brought it up.<br/><br/></p><p>“The police…? Yeah, right. The police would never look into this. This is something I’ve been doing of my own accord. I’ve been keeping it a secret for a long time now. This is mostly due to the fact that I haven’t been able to do all that much about it. But you three… You have a power that barely anyone has. If anyone can uncover the biggest crime in this country’s history… it’s you.”<br/><br/></p><p>“Wait, the <em> biggest crime </em> in Japan’s <em> history </em>!? I-Isn’t that a pretty big step up from some guy who bribes high schoolers!?” Mishima was easily the most nervous about it. Despite that part of him that wanted to be a hero more than anything, there was still that part of him screaming that he was in way over his head. <br/><br/></p><p>“Mental shutdowns… Psychotic breakdowns… They’ve been the talk of the town for a while now. It started seemingly out of nowhere, and despite the fact that the general public is scared out of their minds about it… the police haven’t really done much about it. To tell you the truth… They’re not looking into this nearly as much as news outlets will let you believe. Of course, we’re forced to tell them that we’re hard at work, but… We’ve never looked very far into it. In fact… We’ve been told to do the exact opposite.”<br/><br/></p><p>“That… makes no sense. Do you mean that you’re being ordered <em> not </em> to look into these cases!? But… why!?” Toya yelled. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. <br/><br/></p><p>“Why, indeed… Well, I guess the best place to start is around a year ago. I’d been looking into these cases on my own for a while. Despite the police being ordered not to look into it, I… had personal reasons for it. I needed to figure out who was causing this. And, last year… I finally got a lead.” The Royals all felt a shock run through their bodies. “I overheard a conversation. Someone had asked for a specific person to be taken care of… and the next day, the person in question was dead. They were a part of a horrible accident… one that <em> they </em> caused. And, after some investigation… one thing became perfectly clear: this person had a psychotic breakdown. A coincidence like that… Those chances are slim to none. So, this person I overheard… They were in on it. I was sure back then, and I’m sure now.”<br/><br/></p><p>“Then why has nothing happened!? I mean, if you know who’s behind it, then--” <br/><br/></p><p>“Two reasons.” Kai completely cut Toya off. “One, the specific wording he used. He specifically asked for someone to be taken care of. That means that he’s <em> not </em> the person who’s actually doing it. The person doing it is someone else… Someone that I have no leads on right now. And, the other reason…” He took a deep sigh. “Well, ordering an investigation against your own <em> boss </em> won’t accomplish anything outside of getting yourself fired… and in this case, probably killed.” <br/><br/></p><p>“Your boss…!? W-Wait, does that mean that this person you overheard is…!?” Makoto’s entire body tensed up, her mind encroached by a horrible feeling that she couldn’t describe with words.<br/><br/></p><p>“Yep. The director of the SIU himself. The person who’s ordering the police <em> not </em> to investigate these cases is someone who’s directly involved in at least one of them, and more than likely involved in many, <em> many </em> more. When you look at it that way… It makes sense, doesn’t it?” Kai took a look at the three of them. As he expected, they were all pretty lost for words, but Makoto especially was distraught. “...Oh, right. The SIU Director… He’s your sister’s boss too, isn’t he? Don’t worry. I’m sure she’s as unaware of this as everyone else is. The director might be a monster for ordering people’s deaths, but he wouldn’t do it for no reason. As long as she isn’t suspected of going against him, then she isn’t in any danger at all.” It was hard for her to trust that, given the circumstances she just heard of. However, it still calmed her down a bit, knowing that her sister probably isn’t in any danger. “...I’ll say it up front. I want you three to change his heart. I’ve already confirmed the existence of his Palace. I’ll do the work of figuring out the rest of his keywords, but as for everything else… That’s something that only you can do.” There was a long pause. The three of them really had to consider what they were up against here. Like Kai said, Kaneshiro was nothing compared to this. This was on an entirely new level. The director of the SIU… Ordering assassinations on people via psychotic breakdowns? Someone like him… There was no doubt that his heart was infinitely more distorted than that of Kaneshiro’s, and as a result… The Shadows inside of his Palace were more than likely much stronger. This wasn’t going to be easy… If anything, it was going to make everything that they’ve been through thus far look like a cakewalk.<br/><br/></p><p>“Well, you can count me in.” Toya was the first to break the silence of the bunch. “Even if it’s dangerous… There’s no way I can just sit back and let him do whatever he wants! Plus, this is what dad would want me to do… So I’m in, no questions asked!” <br/><br/></p><p>“I’m in too!” Mishima excitedly yelled. “This guy sounds like exactly the kind of person who needs to have his heart changed! If we just let him do whatever he wants, then we’re just leaving people to die!” <br/><br/></p><p>“I can’t sit by and watch, either.” Finally, Makoto spoke. “If the director of the SIU himself is corrupt, then the entire legal system is at risk. Ignoring this will only make things worse… And if we ignore it for too long, we might lose any chance we ever had at fixing it. For the sake of the entire country… I’ll make sure we change his distorted heart!” She sounded more serious than she ever did before. It gave Toya and Mishima even more determination than they already had. The three of them were dead-set on this.<br/><br/></p><p>“Then that settles it! Kai, The Royals are at your service. We’ll do whatever it takes!” Toya confirmed with his brother, standing in front of the other two. This was it… This was their big mission, and potentially the most important thing that the three of them would ever get involved with. Despite how daunting of a challenge it was, they knew that they had to do this, and they knew that failure was <em> not </em> an option. </p><p>
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  <b>June 26th, 20XX (Sunday)</b>
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  <b>Afternoon - Leblanc</b>
</p><p> </p><p>After a shift that felt like it had lasted years, Sojiro finally got back to the cafe, and with that, Ren was free to go. He practically dashed upstairs to grab his phone.<br/><br/></p><p>“Whoa, jeez! You’re in a hurry!” Morgana got started by how unordinary Ren was acting. <br/><br/></p><p>“Of course I am! Did you not hear the news?”<br/><br/></p><p>“News? What news? Though, I did hear your phone going off a lot.”<br/><br/></p><p>“And you didn’t answer it!?”<br/><br/></p><p>“How can I answer a phone call!? I don’t have thumbs!” <br/><br/></p><p>“You just tap--Okay, nevermind. I need to talk to everyone else, now!” He quickly turned his phone on and went to open his messenger.<br/><br/></p><p>REN: Sorry I’m late! Sojiro had me working all morning.</p><p>ANN: We’ve been trying to contact you all day!</p><p>YUSUKE: We were about to go to Leblanc and make sure you were okay. </p><p>REN: I’m guessing you all say the news, then.</p><p>RYUJI: Oh, we know what’s happening, alright.</p><p>RYUJI: We’re looking at it in person right now. It’s insane!</p><p>ANN: The calling cards are everywhere… It’s not like anything I’ve ever seen before. <br/><br/></p><p>“Wait, what? What did I miss!?” Morgana, having only just now heard about this, was as confused as one could be. <br/><br/></p><p>“Some group calling themselves ‘The Royals’ put calling cards all over the city.”<br/><br/></p><p>“What!? Wait, do you think they have access to the Metaverse!?”<br/><br/></p><p>REN: Did any of you try checking the Nav?</p><p>RYUJI: That’s the first thing we did, but…</p><p>ANN: When we entered the guy’s name, it said that his Palace has been deleted.</p><p>YUSUKE: Just to test, I entered Madarame’s name into the app again. It said the same thing. </p><p>REN: So Kaneshiro really <em> did </em> have a Palace.</p><p>REN: But if it’s already gone, then… We were too late. </p><p>ANN: There was no way we could have prepared for this… This came entirely out of left field.</p><p>RYUJI: Damn it, it’s probably that guy in the Black Mask! He’s gotta be the one behind this shit!</p><p>YUSUKE: That does appear likely, but…</p><p>YUSUKE: Consider the name: “The Royals”.</p><p>YUSUKE: A plural name would imply that there are multiple people involved. Yet we only know of one.</p><p>RYUJI: You think there’s more of ‘em!?</p><p>RYUJI: No way! There can’t be <em> that </em> many people who can use the app! It’s gotta be a coverup!</p><p>ANN: Why would they go out of their way to lie about it…? </p><p>ANN: I don’t want to admit it, but… There being more people involved in this sounds a lot more believable. </p><p>RYUJI: But…! There’s no way, right…!?</p><p>REN: We need to focus. </p><p>REN: The only thing that we know for sure is that there’s at least one more person who can enter the Metaverse. We need to focus on that.</p><p>REN: And we have a lead on who it might be.</p><p>ANN: Yeah…</p><p>YUSUKE: I suppose we have no other option then. The situation certainly calls for drastic measures.</p><p>RYUJI: Yeah. We gotta start looking into that guy, and his friends!</p><p>YUSUKE: And how exactly do we go about doing that? </p><p>ANN: Trying to just follow him didn’t work too well last time.</p><p>RYUJI: That’s only cuz Ren lost track of him. But don’t worry, I got this!</p><p>ANN: Wait, <em> you’re </em> gonna go after him this time? Are you sure that’s a good idea?</p><p>RYUJI: Of course! C’mon, there’s no way he’ll slip away from me!</p><p>RYUJI: And it’s not like he can outrun me!</p><p>REN: Isn’t your leg broken?</p><p>RYUJI: Shuddup!</p><p>ANN: I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try…</p><p>REN: Then it’s settled.</p><p>REN: Ryuji, you’re up. </p><p>RYUJI: Hell yeah!</p><p>RYUJI: Don’t worry, I got this! There’s no way I mess this up!<br/><br/></p><p>“Why do I get the feeling that he <em> doesn’t </em> have this…” Morgana expressed his lack of faith in Ryuji. Ren expected Morgana to have his doubts, but there weren’t that many other options. It <em> was </em> true that Ren managed to let Toya slip away when he tried it himself, so maybe Ryuji would have better luck? There was only one way to really find that out. Though, going along with him to make sure nothing went wrong didn’t seem like such a bad idea either. </p><p>
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  <b>June 26th, 20XX (Sunday)</b>
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  <b>Midnight - Velvet Room</b>
</p><p> </p><p>After a stressful day full of worry… Ren was having a dream. It was a good dream, too. He was enjoying it… Until all of a sudden, he woke up. Bound by chains and in a cell… He was beginning to get used to it at this point. He knew exactly where he was. He got up from the hard prison bed and walked to the iron bars, taking hold of them and staring at the unsettling man in the center of the room, sitting at his desk.<br/><br/></p><p>“It would appear as if the other Metaverse user in question has proven to become… A unique sort of obstacle, in the way of your rehabilitation. Tell me: what do you think of this character?”<br/><br/></p><p>“...I’m not sure. I thought that they were some psychotic murderer… But now, it feels like they’re just trying to one-up all of our efforts. Everything we’ve worked for…”<br/><br/></p><p>“...I see. It truly is a very interesting case. Normally, such a challenge would make me think that your rehabilitation is unattainable. However… I can’t help but find this ordeal to be interesting. As such, I will continue to watch over your game… And a close eye over the interesting characters.” He chuckled. Ren found it unsettling… But there wasn’t anything he could really do about it. Not only that, but he was aware of his position. He needed Igor’s help. He then began feeling tired once again, and heard the bell toll throughout the Velvet Room. He turned away from Igor, heading back to whatever dream he was having, and the real world that followed.<br/><br/></p><p><span class="u">“This other Metaverse user… They’ve proven to be more interesting than I had originally anticipated. Perhaps it’s time for an… intervention…”</span> He let out a long, menacing chuckle--one that would echo throughout the halls. This plan of his that he had thought up not long ago… All he needed was one opportunity, and things would get into motion. And that plan would prove to cause a very, <em> very </em> interesting change to the Trickster’s rehabilitation… and an even bigger change to this other Metaverse user. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>After a bit of consideration, I decided I'm not gonna bother with putting Toya's confidant ranks at the end of chapters anymore. I still think it's a neat concept, but I found myself trying to alter chapters that were already fine on their own just for the sake of increasing a confidant rank. So yeah, don't expect that again. Unless I change my mind which... eh, maybe. I doubt that'll bother anyone too much though.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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